Dead To Me
by RoseShower
Summary: What if, instead of Clementine being alone for her entirety of the apocalypse, there was a person right there with her? What if said person was Louis? AU in which Clementine meets Louis at the start of the apocalypse. - [FromTheBeginning!AU].
1. The Little Boy In the Big Mansion

Prologue: The Little Boy In the Big Mansion

**Rating**: (T-M) Gore and among other subjects.

**Warning**: (M) Possible explicit details of gore, etc.

**Pairings**: Louis/Clementine, etc.

**Summary**: What if, instead of Clementine being alone for her entirety of the apocalypse, there was a person right there with her? What if said person was Louis? AU in which Clementine meets Louis at the start of the apocalypse. - [FromTheBeginning!AU.]

A/N: _**Yada, yadda, Clementine meets Louis in the time where Lee dies, etc...**_

_**I will finish this. All SEASONS included. Hopefully the chapters I'll post will be long enough to fit the story. If not, then I deeply apologize.**_

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_"I killed him because... I loved him." - Clementine, 2018_

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**[ . . . ]**

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**Prologue**

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Clementine had scurried away from the jewelry store with tears falling from her eyes and down her rounded cheeks, her heart shattered in a million pieces.

The smell of rotten flesh filled her nose as the sticky substance on her hoodie stuck on her like a tick, making her want to vomit. She wasn't used to it yet. She didn't think she'll ever be.

The air smelled like crisp autumn and humid death, and her hand that held The Officer's gun shook with such fear of abandonment that she gripped it hard enough as to not let it go.

Her legs felt weak and numb, and her knuckles became white from how hard she gripped the gun as if dependent on it to protect her life.

Her tiny legs bundled in a fast yet steady paced walk, and as she rounded a corner, she found herself in the middle of a few walkers on either side of a vacant alleyway.

She suppressed the whimper that threatened to spill from her lips and repeated what Lee had told her over and over again until that was all she heard and nothing else.

'_Get to Omid and Christa_.'

With a hollow will, she mustered up the courage to walk through the walkers and avoid getting bitten, able to make it out the other side without a scratch, just like before.

In a vacant thought somewhere in her head, she realized the sun was going down and the clouds that once created a grey and dark atmosphere around her were gone and replaced with clear orange skies. She thought it was pretty.

Her tears still fell and her body still trembled, for what should a tiny and fragile nine-year-old girl be doing in the middle of a city full of monsters that can easily chomp and gobble her up? It was horrific.

Her head turned back to the alleyway she came from and cried, knowing that after shooting Lee, she had to leave behind his corpse for the walkers to eat.

In her lifetime, before the dead began to roam, it was customary to bury those who died.

And now, after witnessing her parents were living deathly creatures and killing Lee, she realized that she couldn't bury them like she wanted to. She couldn't do a funeral as they did in sad movies.

She can't mourn them or cry for them because now they were dead and she was in great danger at being killed.

She couldn't scream for her parents to come home.

She couldn't scream for Lee to come back from the dead and tell her everything was alright.

No, now she couldn't do that.

Because they were dead.

Because of her.

Because she was alone.

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**[ . . . ]**

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She had made it past the apartment buildings and found herself by the mansions again, noting how most of them looked scary and great threats for the walkers to break into.

She noticed the house they stayed in momentarily was filled with walkers, and she turned her head away when she found the woman by the name of Brie zombified and dead.

Like always, she didn't like dwelling on the terrifying sights of dead people walking, or the fact that their guts were out and the life in their eyes were reduced to bits of emptiness and death.

She wanted to go home and go back to her babysitter. She wanted everything to be okay, and she wished she wasn't out in the open, alone, with the blood of another gushing through her clothes and touching her cold skin.

She wished everything was okay again.

She wished she wasn't here.

She wished many things, and though they were childish wishes, she found herself wishing she was with Christa and Omid already. Between every wish was a reality.

It was a long walk. And yet she found that she was not tired, but hurt and determined.

Lee told her to _find Omid and Christa_.

Clementine felt hopeful.

She felt lonely.

Her eyes looked over at the walking corpses and turned another direction where there weren't any. Just because she was hiding in their smell didn't mean that there was still a possibility they could eat her.

Like Lee had taught her, always be cautious even in the safest of places. He didn't need to tell her, she saw it. And she learned from his mistakes.

Her body turned and found only a gate open that led into a large garden with dead flowers, and a white mansion so big it almost looked like a castle.

She didn't focus on the mansion. She wanted to go _find Omid and Christa_.

Lee's words repeated and repeated. That was all she heard. The groans of the monsters rung deaf in her ears.

With a slight tremble, she went into the gardens, relieved to see that there were no walkers in sight.

However, her body became still when she realized that there were two bodies on the floor, and a seemingly sitting walker looking or perhaps eating the bodies, as it seemed to still move.

Clementine realized it was close to another open gate on the other side that led to another mansion that was next to the white mansion, and close to the exit.

She decided not to dwell on it, and in hopes that the walker wouldn't get her, she walked forward.

The gate was close to her now.

It was only five feet left.

And then, she heard a gasp.

Her head whipped around to find the little walker staring at her with wide eyes, blood-drenched.

Clementine hadn't realized her gun was shakingly pointing at the little walker, eyes just as wide, her mindset in a panic.

"Please don't kill me!" Said the little boy in a hushed whimper, crying again while holding his hands in front of him, "P-Please..." He cried, heavy tears falling from his eyes.

At the sight of him, Clementine was shocked. "W-What...?" She asked, not able to believe that a walker was talking to her.

"P-puh-please..." The Little boy stuttered and whimpered and crawled away from her a little, revealing two people with gaping holes in their heads.

Clementine lowered her gun as the remainder of her tears dried, confused. "Y-You... You're not a w-walker?" She asked, eyes wide.

The little boy looked still quite terrorized, "I'm not, I'm not, I swear!" He whispered with a tiny plead, "I don't even know w-what w-walkers a-are..." He said, desperate.

Clementine was still confused. "You're not... You know," She glanced around, spotting a dozen walkers from the gate she entered from, "One of t-them?"

The little boy looked behind him, distraught. "N-No! They're-they're scary!" He said, his lips wobbling, more tears falling down his eyes.

He looked her age. Perhaps a year or two older than her.

Clementine had felt a sense of a small relief wash over her still trembling body, relaxing. The grip on her gun had loosened a bit and she returned to how she was.

She could hear the sniffles and cries from the little boy, and her eyes took in the corpses on the floor.

It felt like she could not look away, and she felt horrified. She didn't like seeing people die.

"I'm scared," Clementine heard the boy whisper, "I wish my parents were back..."

Clementine looked at the boy and her heart had twisted in a knowing knot. Tears began to fall again. "Me too..." She shouldn't be focusing on that at the moment. She needs to find Omid and Christa.

But this little boy... She couldn't just leave him alone.

She approached him slowly. "Lee, my friend, said that there are people that can help who are on the other side of Savannah," Clementine said, feeling cold and sticky.

The little boy looked up, suddenly hopeful. "Will they bring my parents back?" He asked, his voice broken and torn.

Clementine wasn't sure. These people looked... dead. And things never come back after they die. Parents don't come back.

"I... I don't know..." She said, her tiny voice bringing a sense of sadness from within.

At that, the little boy began to cry again. They were quiet and sniffled sobs, and she saw him cover his face and mourn.

Clementine frowned. "Please... I need to get over there fast. Or else they... they will leave.." She whispered, scared.

The little boy uncovered his face and shakily stood up, his salty tears creating a clearing on his freckled cheeks from the dry blood stained against them. "O-okay.." He said wistfully, "Can... Can I come too? I'm... I'm scared. And I want my parents back." He admitted, eyes red from the crying.

Clementine nodded, still frowning. They could not bring his parents back. Though, a part of her was glad she had some company that could tag along with her.

Clementine glanced at his clothes, "Did... Did you kill something?" She asked him, only now noticing the long kitchen knife with blood on it hidden behind one of the bodies.

The little boy almost wailed, "I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to," He kept repeating to her, his fists balling up.

Clementine saw him cry more, and she couldn't help but feel the same. "I killed someone too." She said, her lips wobbling.

The little boy wiped his eyes with the end of his sleeve, looking surprised. He glanced at her blood-stained clothes and found his surprise vanishing.

Clementine found that his response was silence. It was typical, perhaps he thought she was a monster.

He looked back at the bodies on the floor, the ache in his heart growing. "I don't want to leave them..." He murmured.

Clementine thought back to Lee, knowing what the little boy meant. "I know..." She replied, "I had to leave my parents too. And my friend, Lee." She said.

The little boy looked back to her, "...Really?" He asked.

Clementine began to cry again. She couldn't help it.

The little boy looked confused. "You couldn't take them with you?"

Clementine's pretty eyes locked on his, "They were dead..." She told him, "And when people die, they never come back."

The boy had widened his eyes and held back a sob, knowing, realizing, now, that his parents were dead, right in front of him. They died, got stabbed, and were left for dead in the garden. The maid that stayed behind had done so, claiming that they were bitten. And the maid was suddenly gone, and his parents suddenly dead.

Right in front of him.

They were dead.

And they will never come back.

"My..." Clementine sniffled, "My friend L-Lee said these things happen all the time..."

The little boy was told by his father just yesterday the same thing.

"H-He said it was normal."

"It's scary..." The little boy said, looking into his mother's disregarded face, a numbness taking over his body. The blood on him smelled like rotten iron and made his skin feel cold and gross.

"I'm scared too." She says.

He looked at her.

"Will... Will we go far? Will we... go away?" He asked her, timid by voice and broken by heart.

Clementine didn't know. "I don't know." She replied, all the same.

The little boy wasn't fond of the idea of leaving his parents. Nor was he fond of being alone.

He hated the silence, and he hated being alone.

Clementine, for some reason, seemed to understand him. Somberly, she knew deep down he didn't want to leave his parents in hopes that they would revive. But that was just a childish fantasy. She knew now.

"I want to help you," She told him, despite the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she couldn't help him, "My friends are waiting for me, maybe they might help you too." She said, hoping he would come with her.

The little boy looked bewildered. "But... What if they don't want to help me?" He asked, fiddling with his bloody fingers. Though as much as he didn't want to leave his only sense of happiness, he realized that they were nothing but corpses now. So what did he have to lose with going with her? Besides, he'd have a friend.

Clementine hadn't thought of that. She didn't think they'd leave a little boy out on his own, either. "They're good people, you'll like them," Clementine said, nodding her head with a small smile.

The little boy looked at his dead parents and then at her, his tears still threatening to spill even if her smile had assured him and made him feel safe.

There was a growl.

The little boy jumped and turned around to see two or so walkers make their way in the garden, and his heart dropped.

Clementine gasped and raised her gun to point at the walkers, her body beginning to shake. Although there were only two of them, she was scared they would harm her. What if when they got close enough they would be able to smell the human under all the guts and debris on her clothes? They would eat her for sure.

"Come on," The little boy then said, pulling at her hoodie, "They'll get us if we don't leave..." He whimpered, grabbing her attention.

She lowered her gun and left, following after the little boy.

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**[ . . . ]**

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After leaving the garden they were in, they ran past a couple of walkers drawing their attention to them, and in a panic, Clementine stopped him.

"Wait," She said, pulling him, "There are walkers everywhere! If they hear us run, they'll get us." She whispered to him, somewhat out of breath.

The little boy took into consideration what she said. "Then... What can we do?" He asked, scared.

They were always scared. But they should never be blamed for feeling that way.

Clementine looked around to spot a group of walkers, a store, another home, and a couple of walkers possibly killed in the head. "Look," She pointed to the walkers on the ground, motionless, "We need to cover ourselves in their blood. My friend Lee said they won't recognize who we are if we do." She said, deciding it would be of better use if she re-applied the dead organs over the drying substances on her clothes.

The little boy looked appalled. "We... We need to put on that dead stuff?" He asked, making a face.

Clementine shuddered, "I don't like it either. It feels cold and... mushy." She muttered while looking at the walkers. "But we have to so that we don't get bitten." She explained, which made his frown deepen.

Carefully, she then walked to them, her gun pointed in their direction just in case.

The little boy followed after her, unsure of whether he would want to put that on himself or not. It was bad enough that his clothes were stained with his parent's blood, and now with whatever those things were? It was disgusting.

"They have holes in their head," Clementine informed, causing him to take a look.

He turned his head away immediately, a queasy feeling settling in his stomach. "Yeah... What does that mean?" He asked, curious to know even if he didn't like to see.

Clementine looked at her gun and then at the walker's heads, "They were shot in the head." She said softly, her eyes drooping and her hand going numb. _Just like I shot Lee..._

"Oh," He said, "There are more survivors?" He asked.

"I don't know." Clementine said, "The only survivors left are my friends Omid and Christa, but they don't have guns." She said, worry eating at her. Would they still be there? What if they left?

Her thoughts almost made her cry again. "Come on," She said, lowering to her knees and putting her gun down, "We need to... put this on..." She said, looking away and stopping her breathing as to not inhale the scent of rotten skin.

He heard the sound of a disgusting _squelch_ the moment her hands came into contact with the open and gaping stomach, and he pinched his nose from the strong smell that followed afterward.

He felt like vomiting.

Clementine made a face as she grabbed a handful with her tiny hands and rubbed it all over herself, making sure to apply some on her skin to hide more. It wasn't necessary to do so, but it guaranteed a better attempt in being safe from the walkers.

She looked at the little boy, "You should put some on too."

The little boy didn't want to. It was... dead stuff they were putting on. It was sick. It was wrong.

"Okay..." He obliged, knowing that if he didn't do so he would probably get eaten.

Clementine could tell by the look on his face that he was against putting walker guts on him entirely, though felt content that upon applying the guts, he didn't try to move away.

There was a brief silence where none spoke, and only the occasional sounds of the bloated organs pressed and juiced against clothes were heard in tune with the growls and groans of the walkers that passed. The dead would never approach them nor would they move if the dead were close enough. It was instinct now to feel an impending doom whenever one would pass, and drag their broken body parts, leaving trails of dark-colored blood at their wake.

"What... What's your name?" The little boy asked, turning around to look at her. After feeling the silence of the various _squelches_ eat at him, he decided to ask a question.

Clementine rubbed her hand onto his cheek to apply the blood, "Clementine..." She answered shyly, "What's... yours?" She asked in return, her inner child reforming once more.

The little boy smiled kindly at her, "My name is Louis." He said, bright and full.

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**[ . . . ]**

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A/N: _**Ahahaha, it's ya boi, torta buss-HEY. HEy. Thanks for reading this. I'll continue it. Don't worry. (I'll try to update quick!)**_

_**Toodles~**_

_**Ana.**_


	2. In the Pines

Chapter 1: In The Pines

**Rating**: (T-M) Not for Kids.

**Warning**: (M) Possible explicit details of Gore and among other subjects.

**Pairings**: Louis/Clementine, etc.

A/N: _**Hey! So it seemed you guys liked it... Thank you. It brings me happiness that you did! Here's Chapter 1. You know, I've never begun with a prologue before.**_

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**[ . . . ]**

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_Chapter 1: In The Pines_

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**6 Months Later**

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Within a pine forest, the heavy crackling sound of crows had rioted within the spiky leaves of each pine, echoing a loud sonance in the quietness of it all.

Between the pines stood a young girl staring up at the sky, her appearance conflicted, and unsure.

Beside her, a figure wandered up to where she stood only a few feet apart, "What are you doing?" It asked, inquisitive.

Clementine turned to see Louis, the little boy she saved staring up at where she was just looking a few moments ago. "Thinking." She replied, a little bitter. She was always troubled.

"I know," Louis huffed with feigned exhaustion, "I always wondered why the sky's blue instead of purple." He replied, staring at the sky keenly.

Clementine furrowed her temples, "Oh," She replied, "I don't know either." She replied truthfully. That wasn't what she was thinking about at all.

Louis gazed at her, his eyes somehow full of joy, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could fly up and find out for ourselves?" He questioned, nodding his head at the sky.

Clementine glanced up and then looked at him again, "I guess. But we can't do that," Clementine replied, fairly somber. Even if his strange question had brought a small spark of intrigue from deep within her childish soul, in that instant, her childish thought had been crushed to the strict reality. They were kids, they couldn't _possibly_ fly. Or have fun. It was imaginary like every other hope she had.

Louis had opened his mouth to retort her statement, but his attention was brought elsewhere when the guardians that accompanied them began to talk.

"What do you think?" Omid asked, his shotgun pointed to a bathroom building for both women and men.

Clementine had looked at them too, seeing them crouched behind a fallen tree as if precautious of the new area. She began to notice that with each place they went to, they were always careful. It must be useful somehow, and it made sense since the place could be full of walkers or people that wanted to harm them.

"Omid, you can't be serious," Christa said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

Omid was still pointing his gun at the building, "I am," He replied.

Christa turned to look at him and stood up, "We are _not_ doing that," She said, stepping over the fallen tree and treading onward to the building.

Omid watched her go and with a raise of his eyebrow asked, "Why not?"

"Because!" Christa said, holding back a laugh as she made her way across the street.

Omid smiled and followed after her right before making sure both Louis and Clem were with them too, "Come on, Christa. What's wrong with 'Omid'?" He asked, a playful tone to his voice.

Christa regarded Omid with an irritating smile, "We're not calling our baby Omid. _One_ of you is enough." She said, trying not to let her smile show over how ridiculous Omid was being.

Clementine was looking down while Louis listened intently to the conversation, wondering why the name 'Omid' was as bad as Christa portrayed it to be. It was a good name, and he liked it. Clementine was too busy in her world to even bother with listening to two future parents argue about what the name of their kid should be, which further confused Louis; this topic was the most important thing in the world right now.

Christa turned back to find Louis looking at them, "You two. A little help here?" She asked, smiling completely now.

Louis brightened, "Omid is a good name." He replied, enthusiastic.

Clementine looked up in mild surprise, "What if it's a girl?"

Omid turned around, "Then we name her Christa." He said, already made up in his mind.

Louis looked puzzled.

"But _I'm_ Christa," Christa replied, making a face, "I don't want to call her Christa. That's just confusing."

"Then name her Genevive. I don't care."

"How can you not _care_?"

The two kids behind the bickering couple stopped to look around and wait for their guardians to make a choice. Not on baby names, but their current scouting mission.

"I like the name Omid," Louis announced to himself more than anything, "What's so wrong about it?"

Clementine walked to the wall beside the woman's door, "I don't know." She replied, disinterested. She examined it to notice various pictures of fast food places and clothing lines, the type of world that it was before.

Louis regarded her with a puzzled expression. "Can we still name the baby Omid even if it's a girl?" He asked, doing the same thing she did, suddenly entranced by the pictures.

Clementine had shrugged. "Maybe." She said and picked up a can to examine it to keep herself busy. She frowned at it, reading over the nutritional values and the expiration date. She dropped the can afterward, as it was empty; it had no use for her and her friends now.

Louis looked at the can and then back at Clementine who turned her attention to the couple once more.

"Vegas Weekend," Omid said, voice slightly low.

Christa opened the door to the men's bathroom and nodded her head at him right before heading inside.

Omid had gotten the clue and turned to both of the little ones, "Why don't you two uh, get cleaned up in the girl's room?" He asked, giving them both a weary look.

Clementine and Louis both went closer to the door, "I hope the sink works in there." Clementine said, peering at the door.

Omid shrugged, "I wouldn't count on it." He turned to Louis, "Just make sure to be careful and to keep track of your things. We'll be right next door." He explained.

Louis nodded his head, "Okay," He acknowledged, and went inside with Clem once she opened the door.

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**[ . . . ]**

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Clementine had stepped in with her gun now in her hand, cautiously stopping by the entrance. "...Hello?" She called to the bathroom, hoping there was no answer.

"Hi," Louis replied with a goofy smile, stopping beside her after making sure the door was closed.

Clementine gave him a look and walked to a stall, holding onto the handle, disregarding his comment and instead centering on investigating the area for threats.

Louis could tell from her position that she was going to do something serious and with a little knife, waited behind her. Contrary to popular belief, the fact that Clementine, the little girl, seemed rather pestered by his remarks, she was quite attached to him. He couldn't tell and she couldn't tell either, but even for such little time, they felt like best friends. Okay, perhaps not best, but there was an unspoken trust from one child to another.

Clementine opened the first stall slowly and peered inside, her gun close and ready to shoot. Upon opening the stall, she scrunched up her nose when she noticed the broken toilet with a pile of human waste inside it, which was probably the reason why the place stunk so bad. "Oh, gross." She said in response to it all.

Louis looked inside too and made a face, "No wonder it smells in here. They should call someone to clean this place." Louis remarked and stepped back when Clementine closed the door.

"Yeah. That's pretty gross," Clementine agreed, reaching for the second stall and opening the door. Clementine knew he was fooling. The people who cleaned these restrooms didn't exist anymore.

She pulled it wide. There was a sort of worry on her face when she opened it, and her features rippled in forlorn.

"What's that?" Louis asked, curious, looking at the second stall as well.

Clementine and Louis both stared at the bloody bunny, a lot of things going through their heads. "Oh," Louis said, moving away, letting Clementine close the stall.

He looked at her and noticed the way a frown made its way to her face, making him wish he was able to make her smile again. That bunny, though, ruined his attempt with its tumult.

Now at the last stall, Clementine had opened it and done the same that she had done to the others. She found it normal and released a relieved sigh.

"Good," Clementine said, closing the stall, "No one's here."

"Guess it's safe to get cleaned up," Louis added, walking to a sink and looking at himself in the mirror.

Clementine did the same, and they both studied themselves, noticing how dirty their complexions were.

"Geez," Louis said, poking his cheek, "We look pretty dirty."

Clementine nodded, "Yeah... Omid was right. We _should_ get cleaned up," She said, her little hand reaching for the handle of the faucet and turning it on. Nothing came out.

"At least we tried," Louis said, a little sad that the faucet didn't work.

Clementine sighed and took off her backpack to place beside the sink and opened it up, taking out a water bottle and a rag.

Louis observed her put the bottle in the sink and open it, "I was hoping the water worked in here." He said, desiring to kill the silence.

"Me too," Clementine said, pouring water onto the rag. She then put the bottle beside her bag and turned her head to Louis. "Do you want to clean up first?" She asked, polite.

Louis tilted his head, "That's okay. Ladies always go first." He said, smiling at her. His father had told him that quote once when he was giving him his usual dad lessons, and though Louis thought his lessons were boring and over the top, he found that the particular lesson on treating everyone right interested him.

Clementine looked confused but didn't protest, focusing back to the cracked and dirty mirror. She dipped her head so that the water on the rag could fall in the sink and cleaned her face, rubbing the material over her cheeks and forehead. Then, she looked up and smiled to find that the dirt and grime on her face were gone.

"Nice," Louis complimented.

Clementine smiled and turned over the rag, "Here," She said, handing it to him.

"Thank ya," He responded, taking the rag and doing the same Clementine did.

"Lookin' good," He said cheesily when finished, inspecting himself in the mirror. "I look pretty again."

Clementine's smile had become bigger, finding it humorous that he called himself pretty.

Louis had felt happy to find he had made her smile. "Here," He said, returning the rag, "Before I lose it."

Clementine took the rag from him and turned to her backpack to put it away, only to elbow her water bottle.

"Oh shoot," She muttered, frowning.

Louis watched it fall and went over to retrieve it, "I'll get it." He brushed off, watching it roll and head under one of the stalls.

Clementine went to the second stall before he did, "It's okay. I'm the one that dropped it," Clementine mumbled, opening the second stall door. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw nothing but the bloody bunny.

"I found it," Louis said with a triumphant cheer, picking it up from the third bathroom stall, feeling giddy that he was able to find it first.

The moment he picked it up though, the door to the bathroom entrance opened slowly.

An eery feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. And it turned out that eery feeling was right, for, in a small corner of one of the mirrors, he saw an unfamiliar face enter the room.

His breathing stopped. And at that moment, his hand reached for the stall door, and he closed it, backing up. A sudden swell of panic swirled within his knowing gut, and he prayed that the stranger wouldn't harm any of them.

He wanted to call for Clem. He wanted to ask what he should do, but he knew it wasn't the right choice, because if he spoke, then the stranger would know he was there.

The sound of a gun cocking brought his thinking to a pause, and his heart thudded. His palms became sweaty and the bottle in his hands trembled. This was it. The stranger was armed. If he dared to speak or even breathe, the stranger would know he was in here. The stranger would know Clem was here.

A loud noise vertebrated at the echoing tiles of the bathroom, sounding like a door slam.

Louis jumped, looking to his left, breathing becoming ragged.

Clementine was in the second stall. She was in the _second_ _stall_.

"I see you."

Louis deadened and looked through the crack of his stall, finding nobody in front of him. The stranger saw him? How? Where was it?

"Get outta there." It said, and Louis almost did.

"Who are you?" Clementine asked, timid, stopping him from coming out into the open.

'_Oh no,_' Louis thought, panicking, '_Clem's in danger._'

"None of your business." The intruder replied, sounding more feminine now that it was closer to him. Was it a woman? A girl?

"Are you going to hurt me?" Clementine asked. Louis surely hoped not.

"Only if you're stupid," The feminine voice replied, and there was a short creak followed by a few steps, "Get out here."

He heard the dreaded tiny steps Clementine took, and if he strained to hear, the small whimper that she released. From the gap in the stall, he saw Clementine, outside, fully exposed, her hands up.

"You got anything on you?" The voice asked.

Louis didn't like this. He went forward and ignored the thumping of his heart, opening the door stall a little.

Clementine saw from the mirror while the lady searched her purple backpack, and her eyes widened. From the mirror, he could see her shaking her head 'no'.

Louis didn't like her answer. But he obliged and closed the door, backing up.

"Come on, let's see," The lady continued, her gun pointed at Clementine, her hand searching in the bag.

Clementine looked down, "No, that's all I have." She replied, derogative.

The lady looked at her, "That's it? How'd you make it this long?" She glared at Clementine, refusing to believe this little girl had nothing on her, "I'm serious! What else you got?" The woman pressured, drawing her gun closer to Clementine.

Louis could see Clementine back up only a little, "That's it..." He heard her say. He wanted to come out and help her. He wanted to come out and face the stranger together, just so that she wouldn't be alone taking the shot. But he couldn't. He wanted to. And he should.

But Clementine told him _not_ to.

"Don't lie to me," The woman waved the gun around for emphasis, "I'll pop you. Gimme what'chu got." She fizzed.

"Please stop..." Clementine pleaded, hands still up in the air, feeling helpless, and in hopes, Christa or Omid would come in to help.

There was a silent pause.

Then, "Gimme that hat."

Clementine shook her head, "No."

"Where'd you get it?" The lady asked.

"My dad gave it to me," Clementine replied.

There was silence again. The expression on the lady was one of surprise, and from what Louis could see, she had hesitated. But that didn't last long.

"Just _give it to me_."

Clementine didn't respond.

And the lady shook her head, turning her attention back to her bag, "Junk. Junk. Junk." The lady repeated, "Look at all this junk," The door to the bathroom opened again, "Shit, Shit, and more shit. Why you ain't got nothin' good?"

Clementine held her breath when she saw Omid come from the doorway, scared.

"Not like the last people I got," The lady continued to speak, "They had all _kinds_ of good shit."

Louis bristled in place, helpless and frustrated and angry. He felt like he could do something—_anything_ to stop that woman from belittling or hurting Clem.

"Now _that_ was a good catch."

Clementine stared into the wide eyes of Omid, hoping he wouldn't get caught.

"You ain't got nothin' good."

Clementine watched Omid approach the woman from behind, his arm reaching out slowly.

"You just a little fish," The lady sneered, looking at Clementine, "You gonna cry little fish?"

Louis went forward.

"This your daddy?" The lady glanced down at a picture of Lee, distracted.

Louis opened the stall, "What a bozo."

The door closed.

The lady turned around in a gasp and pulled the trigger.

In that instant, as if time had slowed down, they both watched as the fast bullet pierced through Omid's cotton clothes and his flesh, ending with the shock of a bullet into his heart.

Louis and Clem both gasped, eyes wide.

Omid, standing, had coughed, trying to breathe, his body twitching. His eyes that went to the door were slowly brought to Louis and Clementine and then were glanced at the lady in the pink sweater.

His eyes were wide and his hands went to cover the bullet wound in his heart, staring right into her shocked eyes. A final breath had left through his lips and he fell on his knees. And then his body went still and slumped dramatically onto the floor.

Clementine covered her mouth in shock and Louis came outside, staring at a dead Omid.

The lady backed up with wide eyes, unsure of what just occurred.

Then, the door to the woman's bathroom opened with a slam, and in entered Christa, looking worried.

Her eyes landed right onto her dead husband.

"I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to!"

Louis hadn't realized tears were falling from his eyes, and Clementine had shaken a little, brittle.

Christa's breathing became slightly harsh and the hurt on her expression had morphed to anger, turning to the girl.

The girl brought her hands up and dropped the gun, "I didn't mean—"

A loud ricochet of a bullet echoed in the silent bathroom again, and the girl staggered backward, releasing a noise of pain. The bullet had gone into her abdominal area, sending her to the wall, and splattering blood and parts of her guts onto the floor.

The girl pressed her body against the tiles and gasped, before sliding down the wall, and dying.

Clementine's widened eyes looked to the dead girl and then to Christa, her hand unconsciously wrapping around Louis' arm.

Louis hadn't felt it. He stared at Omid's body, ignoring the dead girl, tears increasing in volume. _What just happened?_

"...Oh, _god_..." Christa's voice shook and she went to her knees, "Omid..." Her hands wrapped around her husband's dead body, bringing him close, tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes, "...Oh, god, Omid, Can you hear me?" She began to sob, her forehead pressed against his, "...Omid..." Her sobs became louder.

Louis couldn't stop staring at Omid.

Clementine didn't understand.

Christa looked over at the gun on the floor, and then to Clementine, damaged.

Clementine shook her head, her hand gripping Louis' arm tighter. _He's dead._

They stayed there, mourning, hurting.

Until they had to leave again.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

**16 Months Later**

* * *

There was silence.

The night was approaching.

The sky was painted grey, and the piercing cold air had begun.

And though quiet, Clementine found herself concentrating on the sound of the fire lit in front of her.

She was sitting on a log leaned forward, her beautiful hazel eyes centered on the crisping ashes that floated overhead the small flame burning the skinny wooden sticks to charcoal. Though a lovely scene, the ashes looked dull and disheartened.

Louis was sitting alongside her. He was always near her.

Clementine had looked at Louis.

Louis tore his eyes away from the sky and looked at her back upon sensing her eyes on him, a mute question beating off inside his head.

Clementine was frowning, like usual, and found she had nothing to say. There was nothing _to_ say.

His eyes flickered an unanswered question, however. But she didn't know what it was. His eyes reminded her to stay calm. And though she recognized the fondness his eyes held for her, she still couldn't help but feel anything but solitude.

Her eyes shifted to her left to view Christa, finding her doing the same thing she was doing just seconds ago. A sad statement left her lips, "Christa. Talk to me." She muttered, blank.

Louis had looked over at Christa as well, expecting a response.

They both did.

But they were only met with a silent huff of impatience.

Standing, Christa grabbed onto a long stick and went to the fire. She poked at the meat cooking, "This'll never work."

Clementine and Louis looked at the fire.

"Look at this," She moved the sticks around in hopes the flames would grow larger, "It's pathetic. The wood's too wet to burn. There's more smoke than flame..." She said, moving more of the sticks.

"It's okay. We can wait," Clementine mumbled, her voice still fragile.

Louis' expression became sad upon hearing her speak, reminding him of everything unfortunate that's happened to them.

"All we do is wait. And for what?" Louis heard Christa say, "You two should be doing this. Not me."

Clementine looked down, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Tending a fire so you could cook and stay warm," Christa explained, staring at Louis, "It's something you two have to be able to _do_... Otherwise..." She left the sentence hanging and crouched down, poking back at the wood with a shake of disappointment from her head.

Clementine looked up, downhearted, the dullness remaining in her eyes. She looked past Christa and to the trees behind them, contemplating. "We can't stay in one place too long. It's too dangerous. We need to keep moving." Clementine explained, glancing at the fire again and then at the smoke rising to the heavens.

"All we do—all we have ever done is move. But we never seem to get anywhere." Christa muttered a bit angrily, not taking her eyes away from the fire, moving the wood mindlessly now.

Clementine furrowed her temples and sadly looked down. Christa was right. No matter how much they kept going, there never seemed to be an ending point. It should be pointless.

It sounded dreary. But would they ever get anywhere? Would they ever be... free?

"I'm freezing," Clementine said and hugged herself, changing the subject.

Louis looked at her. He glanced at his long-sleeve and reflected. Clementine was cold, and so was he. Christa was next to the fire; most likely she could feel the warmth it provided on her face. They weren't close to the fire, and they were cold. With sparse giddiness, he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her, bringing her near him.

A part of him was afraid she'd pull away. She hadn't done anything, though.

Christa's eyes softened. "You think this is bad?" She asked, looking back to the fire sadly, "Wait til' we get up to Wellington, then talk to me about cold." Christa replied, still angry despite her effort to suppress it. "_If_ we make it," Christa added depressingly.

Clementine continued to hug herself as she leaned onto Louis' warmth, appreciating his proximity silently.

"We still have a couple of hard months ahead of us," Christa kept adding, standing up and putting the stick down.

Louis' expression morphed to worry when Christa looked up at the sky with disapproval.

"This rain will turn to sleet, then ice, then snow. It won't be easy." Christa mumbled and returned to pick at the fire.

Louis frowned. "Is it safe there...?" He asked.

"Safer than here because of the cold. Or... so they say. We just need to keep moving North." Christa replied, frowning as well upon noticing the two of them hugging each other for warmth. In a way, through her eyes, she could see herself and Omid before his death, doing the same before the world became dilapidation. It was a pleasant memory, but it burned a hole through her aching heart again.

They stayed in silence for a while, the only exclusion being the burning of the sticks and the soft chisels of Christa's shoe against the dirt below her feet.

Nowadays, their travels were silent. They grew scarier and sad. And there were so many things Louis had never wished to see, and so many things he wished would have vanished from his memory. When he would tell Christa, she would remain silent. When he told Clementine, she had agreed with him but stayed silent all the same. They barely even laughed anymore.

Has Clementine ever laughed?

When was the last time she smiled?

He... couldn't remember.

"I miss Lee..." Clementine muttered in a hushed whisper, pain clear in her voice.

'_I miss my parents_,' He reminded himself. In that instant, a hollowness had replaced his mood. He stared at the fire and remembered, considering the possibilities and the outcomes those possibilities may have had, thinking, pondering, reliving. He always ignored it. But it would always come back.

Louis had hugged her tighter, knowing what she felt and so ardently wishing he could take that horrible feeling away. They were sad for too long. It had to stop.

But it was always there.

Christa stopped for a moment, "I'm sure you do." She replied and then sighed, standing up. "I'm gonna go look for more wood. Just keep the fire lit," Christa said, and walked into the forest, leaving Louis and Clementine behind.

It was silent again.

The fire was still going.

And the skinned animal was still raw. Its legs, which were closer to the fire, hadn't even caught a burn.

Louis glanced at Clementine beside him, a question bubbling in his throat. "Are you... okay?" He asked, voice faint.

Clementine stared at the fire. "Yeah..." She replied, "Just... cold."

"Me too." He said, looking away from her and back to the fire. What was so intriguing about that fire?

Louis felt her want to move and let her go, the cold seeping to the side where Clementine had kept warm. He looked back at her to find her getting up and reaching over to the side of the log and retrieving her favorite—her _only_—purple-flowered backpack.

He had scooted closer to the edge, observing her still, wondering what she was going to get out.

Clementine looked at him, "Where's your bag?" She asked.

Louis sighed, "I lost it a while ago, remember? It ripped from the strap when I was trying to escape the batch of smelly-tons." He reminded, which made Clementine frown.

"That sucks." Clementine mumbled, opening her bag, "I wish I could've gotten it back for you."

Louis shrugged. "It's fine. I always lose my things, anyway. At least I still have my knife on me," He said, patting the pocket on his ripped jeans.

Clementine looked, "I lost my gun. I don't even think I _have_ a knife," Clementine mumbled, frowning.

"Do you want mine? I don't need it." He said, offering it to her.

"No thanks. And yes you do, you never know what'll come up," Clementine dismissed, rummaging through her bag.

"True," Louis said, noticing a colored paper. "What's that?" He asked, pointing to it.

Clementine looked at the drawing. "A drawing I did... when I was little." She answered, snaking it out and taking a look at it. Her eyes turned sad upon doing so, and she handed it over for Louis to see.

He saw it too, "This is a great drawing. You never told me you were an artist...?" Louis said, smiling at the paper.

Clementine shrugged, taking the paper from him and folding it before pocketing it. "I didn't think it was anything special." She admitted.

"What?" Louis asked, surprised, "But the drawing's great!"

"Yeah," Clementine sighed, "For a stupid little kid," She responded.

Louis pouted. "I thought it was great." He countered.

Clementine looked up at him, something swirling in her chest. She was staring at him, trying to find meaning in what he said. When she didn't, she ignored the feeling that settled within her and continued. "Well, I think it's terrible. But... Thanks anyway," She said, shrugging.

Louis smiled. "You're welcome." He paused, "Do you draw anymore?"

"What do _you_ think?" Clementine asked, still looking through her bag.

Louis had shaken his head, "Yes. Probably. Maybe." He frowned, "No."

Clementine sighed sadly, "If I had some paper, I would probably draw. I'm not as lucky as you to find any type of instrument on the ground," Clementine told him, feigning jealousy.

Louis chuckled, "What can I say?" He whipped out his harmonica, "I'm a lucky coin."

"Sure," Clementine said, rolling her eyes.

Louis wanted to play. He knew piano, but after so long, he had probably forgotten how to play it. So, he resorted to playing the harmonica he found not so long ago to satisfy his pursuit of music. Anyway, he wanted to play at this moment, but he feared there would be a few dozen walkers or so, considering how low they were speaking as to not draw attention. The smell of smoke was enough to draw them to their location already, he didn't need the noise of his harmonica adding to it.

Clementine had stopped rummaging all of a sudden.

Louis noticed her still and put his harmonica away, his eyebrows crinkling in worry.

He saw her reach in and pull out a ripped picture of some sort and witnessed her expression turn to forlorn sadness and something else he couldn't describe. "...Clem?"

Clementine felt her eyes tear up, and she put the picture into her pocket after folding it. "...Yeah?" She asked, hoping her eyes didn't look teary.

He wanted to ask her. But it wasn't his place. As of now, she never wanted to talk about Lee. Perhaps because it was something tremendous for her that she lost. He had only ever asked once back when Omid was still alive, and she had replied with nothing but tears.

He made sure to avoid asking.

"Nothing, sorry," Louis said instead, looking away and back to the fire. It was always the fire.

Clementine decided not to question it. So, to heed Christa's orders, she rummaged a bit more and found a butterfly lighter, flicking it on. After knowing it worked, she closed her bag and put it back into the log. She walked to the fire after and crouched a tad bit, flicking her lighter on.

"When did you get that?" Louis asked, skeptical.

"Since forever ago." She answered, reaching in the pocket of her jeans to take out a piece of paper to burn.

Louis watched her lean the paper to the small spark of fire that came from the busted yet childishly colored lighter, the material of the paper becoming a tad gray once the fire ignited it. He then saw her toss it into the almost-out campfire, his eyes reflecting the sudden brightness the campfire emitted once the paper touched the burning wood. "It seems convenient." He said, watching the rise of the fire go down again.

"Lucky, more like it." She answered, and got up. She frowned at the fire. "Still not enough..." She mumbled to herself and looked around.

Louis got up from the log too, "Do you need help finding some sticks?" He asked.

"We went out looking for all the sticks we could find. I doubt there's any left." Clementine said.

Louis surrounded the fire, "Maybe we missed a stick that fell out?" He suggested.

Clementine sighed and began looking beside the log and among other things, "Seems pretty dumb if we missed a stick. I would've noticed it."

"I found a log," He said quickly, picking it up.

Clementine turned to him, surprised. "Really? Where was it?" She asked, approaching him.

Louis inspected it, "By the fire."

"Seriously?" Clementine said, "I thought there was nothing there."

"Well, as I told you, I'm a lucky coin," He said, smiling at her deviously before tossing the log into the fire. "I have a notch in finding things."

"Pfft, whatever," Clementine said, glad to see the fire being brought a little more to life, "That was just a coincidence."

"Whatever you say, Clem," Louis shrugged, smug, "But I'm lucky. You can't deny that."

Clementine crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "Sure. I'll believe it when you somehow manage to find a bag of unexpired food." She said, making him smirk.

"I bet you the leg of this weasel for it," He offered, bringing out his hand for her to shake.

Clementine didn't bother with it. "Yeah right. I'd like to eat the leg, thank you." Clementine said, rolling her eyes.

Louis held his hands up, "If that's what you want." He shrugged.

_"Are you fucking kidding me!?"_

Louis and Clementine both froze in alarm, their eyes going wide. They both looked around them, looking for the source of such an exclamation, only to find no one.

"What was that?" Louis whispered, going to her side immediately.

Clementine shook her head, "I... I don't know. I heard it come from behind me though," Clementine said, walking cautiously to the forest, hoping to locate Christa to see if she knew what it was.

"Hey wait for me," Louis said, following her.

Clementine felt him hold her hand, "We need to stay close. We don't know who it was, it could be a killer for all we know," She heard him tell her, which made sense.

"Okay," Clementine mumbled, grasping his hand back, "We gotta go find Christa, first."

Louis nodded in reply, and they both walked into the forest.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

It was eery. And the louder the voices became, the more uneasy it made them feel.

"They're getting louder..." Louis mumbled, keeping close.

Clementine felt a chill run down her spine, "Yeah. I know..." She replied, her voice quiet and feeble.

"Don't fucking lie to us!" Someone yelled, making the crows above them rattle away.

Clementine continued to walk, glad to have Louis by her side.

"Who do you think you're foolin'?"

Louis' teeth began to chatter from the cold.

"Give us the truth and you don't get hurt."

They stopped walking, their hearts sinking in fear.

"You fuckin' with me? Where's the rest of your group!?"

Clementine felt Louis' hand clutch her hand, and she trembled slightly, suddenly in terror when seeing Christa being shoved around by the random group of men.

'_Oh my god..._' She thought, fearful.

"I-I'm by myself..." Christa refuted, putting her hands up in defense.

Louis widened his eyes. Why did she lie?

One of the men advanced her with anger, "Bullshit...!"

"She's lyin'..." Another said.

"Cut the shit, _Lady_." A third one said, the leader, it seemed and pointed the gun at Christa.

They were going to shoot. She knew it. She would see her friend die. Another... No. _No_, she didn't want her to die.

Quicker than a bullet, she looked around and picked up a rock without letting go of Louis' hand, hurling it at one of them. "Christa, _run_!" Clementine yelled to save her and was pulled by Louis before she could see her friend escape.

They were running now, away from their spot and past the campfire, hearing a cut off cry from Christa, followed by the sound of a shooting bullet.

'_She's dead,_' Louis thought with great panic, pulling at Clementine to keep up with his running, '_There was no way she escaped_.'

They stopped to catch their breath, and Clementine, in a hurry, noticed a huge rock and pulled Louis toward it so that they could hide.

"Get the fuck over here, _Now_!" One of the men that followed them said harshly, "Mother_fucker_."

Clementine looked around to see if there was another way they could go as to not get caught, unable to think straight.

"Come out here, you fucking _shits_. I'm not fucking around."

Clementine saw another rock and pulled Louis up before they both dashed to it, unfortunately catching the attention of their attacker.

"Shit!" The man cursed and followed after them, "Get the fuck over here!"

Clementine felt Louis let go and she inevitably slid under a tree, running past the boulder they were meant to hide in. They continued to run, and she looked beside her to check for her friend, luckily finding Louis still near her, keeping up.

Her eyes exchanged attention from Louis to the road, and she gasped then, noticing a walker. She turned to her right and stepped to the side to get out of the way, leading her to bump into Louis who didn't notice her at all thanks to his rising panic at the thought that the man behind them was going to kill them.

They landed on top of each other on the muddy ground and scrambled to get up. Louis offered her a helping hand when he stood first, and Clementine took it, thankful to have him there. She muttered a quick 'thank you' and looked around in search of a new path they could escape in, her body barely able to register the cold and the numerous paths that were blocked. She realized there was no other way out, and she pointed to the open ground leading to the running river, "There." She hissed, and grabbed Louis to pull him towards it, but was stopped from a walker getting in their way. They went back, deciding to head in another direction, only to find the man had caught up to them.

Louis pulled Clementine behind him, protecting her, noticing the man stop behind the walker.

Clementine noticed it too, watching the man stop and look for something to kill the walker, and took her chance to look around in her surroundings for a weapon of her own. Upon finding nothing, she turned to the fallen tree and ripped off a branch, and went forward, just in time when the man took out the walker and ran for them.

But the man was faster than her and managed to grab Louis, which brought out a cut-off gasp from him.

"Got one—"

Clementine didn't even let him finish his sentence before sticking the tree branch into his shoulder and pushing him away, grabbing onto Louis.

Louis stumbled a bit but managed to run with her until reaching the river. They both cursed when they looked at the running water. There was no way across.

"Louis—"

Clementine was snatched up before she got to say anything, and at an attempt to grab her back, Louis was kicked harshly on his chest. He lost his bearings and slid down the small and muddy edge, his body hurtling into the harsh running water below.

"_Louis_!" Clementine cried, her eyes wide. In such rage, she bit down on her attacker's thumb, making sure she bit _hard_.

She heard a crack and tasted blood as she pulled at the thumb, trying to rip it off. She felt his hands loosen their grip on her and she broke free, making a B-Line right for a log, crawling through it.

But the man grabbed onto her leg and pulled her back outside. Her strength wasn't enough, because whenever she crawled back inside, she kicked at his hand over and over again until he pulled her out completely.

She struggled and looked for anywhere she could grab as she was being dragged, managing to latch onto a tree to stop him.

"Jesus are you fuckin' kidding me?!" The man exclaimed, pulling her hard enough to let go, "Kid, you are on my _last_ fucking nerve!" He said while getting on top of her, holding onto her limbs.

Clementine buckled and kicked, hearing sudden growls. She saw a few walkers get caught by the trunk of a tree, and an idea popped into her head. Mustering all her strength, she used her feet to push at the man's chest close enough to the walkers and triumphantly got him caught and pulled by one of them.

"Shit!" The man cursed when the walker grabbed onto his hand, his eyes wide and scared.

Clementine crawled backward and stood up, glad for the distraction, only to be grabbed by another walker behind two trees.

She pulled at the walker and ripped it's arm off, knocking the man onto the floor from the effort. She released a strangled yet small scream when she saw another approach, and she rolled out of the way so that the walker could get the man and not her.

Clementine stood up and saw the man get bitten and torn off from his main arteries, glad to see the man die. But she ran around in a panic now because of the walkers, dodging them from left to right, only to get caught by a rock and trip.

She was in such a state of panic that she began to crawl back, her head looking around quickly for another weapon. She grabbed onto a heavy rock and kept her stressed pace behind her, giving the rock a throw.

It hit none of the dozen walkers going for her, and she kept going back, too focused on the walkers to become aware of the river.

In a sudden yelp, she fell among the running waters and was dragged off.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

Clementine woke up at the small sandy edge of the now calm river, the sky bright in blue. Her eyes squinted and she groaned as she got up, her soaked clothes feeling cold among the breeze.

She covered her body and rubbed at her arms at an attempt to get warm, looking around to find nothing but trees and... well, the river. There were rocks and sticks on the floor mixed with other useless things, none of which seemed to help her.

"Hello...!?" She said loudly to the quiet realm, hoping somebody she knew would answer her. But nobody did.

She began to walk at a relative pace around a small cliff, taking note of the broken boat in the river that said 'Kids Camp'. Sadness washed over her when she realized that most of the kids were probably dead.

She continued to walk, brushing away such thoughts, and looked up to find a broken wooden staircase. The bottom half was missing, but the top half was still in prime condition. Weird... What must have caused it to fall apart?

With a tired sigh, she jumped up to reach the edge, but couldn't because of how short she was. She jumped again, and again, she had failed. On her third try jumping, she managed to latch on and somehow successfully pull herself up, struggling only a tiny bit when the wood caught onto her shirt.

She pulled at it and stood, then proceeded to climb the stairs.

The first thing she saw was the trees.

'_Okay_,' She told herself in her mind, walking forward, '_You're still in the forest_.' "Louis, are you there?" She called, knowing it was a risk for walkers to hear, but hoping someone could reply.

Nobody did.

She frowned, ignoring the metal tube craned into the skull of a walker, and the small cross. She had no time for that, right now, she needed to find Louis and Christa.

It was a relatively short walk. She took her time to look around for anything, even above, only when the birds would chirp or make a sound.

The trees were tall and blocked most of the sunlight, but it was fine because Clementine could still see.

It brought a sort of weary feeling, and with a worried grimace, she walked and stopped upon finding a camp.

She was confused, but grateful, thinking that, though run-down, it may have food or other materials she could use for survival.

With a slight quiver, she walked around the camp, searching for food. Her stomach growled and she held it, frowning. She should hurry.

Her eyes saw a box inside a blue van, and she went to it, noticing nothing but broken toys. Perhaps this must've been where the kids stayed at, considering the boat. There was nobody here though, which both relieved her and saddened her.

She was hoping to see Louis or Christa, or... she didn't know. But she wished they were here because now she was alone and afraid.

She kept searching the boxes.

She searched in the cooler.

The ground underneath the van.

She even searched behind the log and found nothing.

There was an itching sense of hopelessness reaching out for her, and she felt numb.

However, her hope was brought back up when she noticed the metallic trash bin, one place she didn't search in. It was worth a try, even if it was trash. Anything was good nowadays.

She went to it and peered inside finding multiple open cans, and her eyes widened upon seeing a half-empty can of white beans, open, but there. With her hand, she reached for it and brought it up to check the expiration date, glad to find that they haven't expired yet.

She opened the can a bit more and peered inside to check for gunk and trash, and then dipped her hand in to eat some when she didn't find any.

Perhaps she was the lucky coin, and not Louis. Hah, in his face!

She frowned. If only he was here.

There was a growl.

And she turned, eyes wide, finding a dog.

Her breath hitched as she put her hands out in front of her, "Easy, boy... Easy... I'm not going to hurt you," She promised, backing away when it inched closer. "Here," She said, grabbing a few beans or so and tossing it to him, "Go on boy, eat it."

The dog ate it.

And Clementine released a sigh.

But then it started growling again.

Clementine glanced at him and then inside the can, "Sorry, I don't think there's enough..." She needed to eat too, there was practically only juice left in this!

The dog didn't seem to like it.

And before she could move, the dog dove in at her, as if going in for the kill.

Clementine cried out in sudden pain and dropped her beans when the sharp teeth of the dog bit down on her flesh, feeling the crunch and the same teeth touch her bones.

She tried to push the dog off but it persisted, and she cried out even more when it moved its head around as if trying to rip her limb off.

"Oh my god, _Clem_!" She heard a familiar voice call, "Get off of her, boy! What are you _doing_?"

The dog was being pulled back, but it was making the damage worse. "Stop!" Clementine cried, and she kicked the dog off of her, sending it behind a log.

Louis gasped and picked Clementine up, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! The dog ran back and I was confused—" Louis stopped talking and looked at her wound, "You're _bleeding_!"

Clementine looked at her arm with wide eyes, almost able to see her bone under all the bloody mess, "I... I..."

There was a whimper.

Clementine and Louis looked over the log to find the dog impaled from the sharp grits of a fallen tent, whimpering and twitching in agony. The dog's eyes rolled back in pain.

Louis looked away, "_No..._" He whispered harshly.

Clementine's expression softened when she saw the dog. It was dying, and her heart ached when it would try to move, only to whimper again when the flesh would tear open more and issue a crunching sound each time. Even if it bit her, this dog didn't deserve this fate.

It was only trying to survive.

"We need to kill it," Clementine mumbled, scrunching her eyebrows together.

Louis shook his head, "I can't." He said.

Clementine hissed when she moved her arm, "We can't let it suffer..." She strained, closing her eyes and letting the pain subside.

Louis turned around to look at her, tears prickling at his eyes, "But... He was a good dog." He muttered. After feeling the tears, he let out a frustrated huff and wiped at them furiously, thinking himself small. This was ridiculous, he was crying over a dead dog! There have been worse things than this, so why cry over a dog?

Clementine frowned. "It'll suffer a painful death." She said.

Louis glanced at his pocket, "I can't do it." He said, shaking his head.

Clementine stopped and looked at the dog, her arm pounding with bleeding pain, feeling it open more as the breeze of the outside settled inside her open skin. If she felt like this over a dog bite, the dog must've felt much worse. There was no way she was going to let his death pass, even if it hurt her to do it. She loved dogs. This one just happened to have scared her and bit her because of his immense hunger. It was only being an animal, and now it was becoming a corpse. "Then... I'll kill it." She said, not at all up to the idea. It was cruel and unjust.

But she was always so merciful...

Louis closed his eyes as he heard another whimper, "I lost my knife when I fell into the river." He mumbled.

Clementine eyed his pocket, "Did you find another?" She asked, noticing the edge scripted on the pressure of the pocket of his jeans. There, she could see the knife, small, but a knife nonetheless.

Louis, in truth, had forgotten he found one. "Oh," He said, reaching into his pocket and taking it out, "I didn't even..." He paused when he saw her hand out, "Sorry. Sorry. Here." He muttered, giving it to her and turning back around. He opted to stare at the trees and tune out the dog's whimpers, but he couldn't.

Clementine eyed him with dismay. She wished Louis wasn't so hurt over things. It hurt her more seeing him so saddened. She liked him better when he was making stupid jokes or doing stupid things, even if it did annoy her just a tiny bit.

She liked Louis. He was her friend. Best friend, if she wanted to admit it. They were close, him and her. They were a pair like Omid had described when they found them in the countryside, and from the way he elaborated that they were going to be something much more, Clementine was assured that they would stay with each other forever. Having each other's back and keeping each other in check, just to keep one or the other safe.

But... she was afraid Louis would think irrationally and get himself in trouble. She was afraid _she_ would act incorrectly because god knows what she would do if she lost Louis too. Perhaps mourn like she did the others.

But never... move on.

Lee was still dear to her heart and she missed him every day since his death. She kept having certain dreams of him and her talking, and when she was scared, Louis would appear in the same dream and just stand next to her like he always does. In the dreams, Lee had never asked nor had he noticed him, and it made sense since it was only a dream. But somehow, knowing Louis was there for her made her ease down and stay calm.

She knew that if she lost him now, she would never forget him. He was the one who remained when the others did not, and he was the one who understood her when the rest sympathized. He kept her mind at ease and her emotions in check.

Like now. She would be internally freaking out over her chiseled arm, but she was ignoring it. There _was_ a worry, but it was small.

Maybe because she was still debating whether to kill the dog or not.

Her feet stopped in front of the poor animal still fighting for its life, her eyes taking notice of the blood that now encircled around and under the domesticated creature. Her shoe touched some of it and she stepped back, frowning. It wasn't dying anytime soon. She pressed the knife against the dog's throat, "I'm sorry..." She murmured, before sticking the knife into the furry flesh and pulling up, hard enough to rip the tendons of the dog's arteries and even larynx.

It made a preposterous whimper and after a second went still, his arms and legs dropping back to the ground.

Louis had flinched when he heard the sound, and he didn't dare turn around.

"It's dead," Clementine announced in monotone, standing straight and heading toward him.

Louis looked at her when she approached him with the bloody knife, his eyes giving it a peek before looking back to her.

"Sorry," Clementine said and wiped the knife, "I know dogs are your favorite animal," She told him.

Louis accepted the knife and shook his head, "It's okay. But... your arm," He pointed to it, "It's bleeding a lot. Part of your shirt is soaked," He said, eyes widening upon taking a good look at it.

Clementine looked at her arm and furrowed her brows, "It hurts a lot," She said, trying to move it, only to hiss in pain when the material of her shirt rubbed against the wound. She hadn't even considered what she should do with her bleeding arm. "But I'll be fine. As long as we keep moving." She lied, grabbing the edge of her sleeve and covering the rest half of her wound.

"Where would we _go_?" Louis asked, incredulous, "Clementine, we don't know where we're headed. And your arm is _bleeding_—"

"We're going to Wellington," Clementine said, "It's where Christa was taking us, up north."

"Who knows when _we'll_ get there?" Louis exclaimed, worried, "Your arm needs medical attention right now."

"I _know_, Louis," She hissed, holding onto her arm, "Why do you think I'm telling you we need to move?"

Louis stopped to consider and sighed. She was stubborn. But she was right. There was no first aid kit around, not even in the stupid camp, and they were in the middle of nowhere.

"You're going to die," Louis whispered.

Clementine widened her eyes, "I won't. I just got bit by a dog, that's all. It'll heal along the way," She lied again.

Louis shook his head, "Fine. Okay. Sorry. I'm just... I don't know. You're in no condition to walk—"

"I got bit in the _arm_, Louis, not in the leg. I know you're worried, but we have to go," She insisted, pleading silently.

Even if he denied it again, he found that he couldn't argue anymore. They were wasting precious time just arguing over nonsense when they could be well on their way, close to their destination.

"Let me know if you start feeling weird," Louis said, looking at the forest.

"Okay," She said and walked, making a face when she touched her injury.

He knew she was lying, she was never a good liar.

But they had to leave.

There was no other choice.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

There were only trees. For as far as they could see, the trees were what made up their vision.

There were the occasional boulders and walkers that would present themselves in their walk, which almost always ended up in them hiding behind a boulder, or killing the walker instead. There wasn't much to do but hope for the best and hope not to die. Survival was like this. Yet somehow, Clementine knew they weren't living. If there was no point of any happiness, was one ever really living?

"I'm glad you're okay," Clementine managed out, her breath leaving her.

Louis had noticed the way she heaved for breath quietly after she had spoken, and frowned. "Me too. I thought..." Louis bit his lip and looked at her bloody and busted arm hidden behind the striped long-sleeve of her shirt, "I thought you died back there."

Clementine could barely see. She felt dizzy, and her heart felt like it was slowing down. "I thought _you_ did," She answered truthfully, gulping air.

Louis crossed his arms as a chill went down his spine, "He had you." He said.

"That man..." She paused to breathe, squinting to see, "He _threw_ you."

"But you..."

"I couldn't stop it," Clementine whispered, her head pounding, "You were gone... He threw you into the river, and I could've..." She breathed in a little too hard, which made Louis jump. She hoped, somehow, he wouldn't notice her wilting form.

"I'm still alive," Louis said, "I'm still here." He assured her, picking up his pace a bit when he realized the walkers were noticing their presence.

Clementine felt weak. Her body felt shaky and heavy as if she couldn't walk anymore. And she really couldn't, but she did so anyway. "I know.." She mumbled, her mind going blank, "I..."

Louis' eyes widened when she gave in and slumped to the floor, his hands immediately going for her and keeping her up. "Clementine...?" Louis whispered, "Clementine, get up, we need to keep moving." He urged, allowing her to lean onto him.

It took her a moment, but she got up anyway, heavier, slower. She heard growls from behind them, and though she felt like she couldn't breathe, she spoke anyway, "I'm okay. I'm okay. Let's... go."

Louis pulled her up with him and allowed her to swing an arm around his neck, "Clementine..."

She walked a bit more and didn't respond to him, her body barely able to comprehend her surroundings. She could barely walk, she could barely see.

This was it... She was going to die here, in Louis' arms. But she didn't want to. And yet... she found that she couldn't do anything about it.

Her body shut down on her and she fell forward, leaning against a boulder, hearing Louis call her name. She felt herself slide down and fall against someone.

"Oh my god, Clem," Louis called to her, and she turned her head to look at him, finding him at proximity above her. She could feel his hand on her cheek and the way he cupped her close, the warmth of his body making her numb to the swelling pain she couldn't seem to feel anymore.

"Wake up, Clem," She heard him plead, "Clementine!"

She couldn't say anything back. She was still there, but she was just as far. Her breathing was coming short and ragged, and she felt like she was falling. "Clementine—"

She heard the growls and felt her body fall hard against the dirt, making her grimace.

She tried to move and found she could barely do so, her vision going in and out.

Her ears had captured Louis' struggled growls and the sound of his panting, and a squish of some sort.

"Clementine!" She heard him cry and she struggled herself upward, looking around. It was blurry, and she could barely register her hand, let alone her surroundings. But she saw something and reached for it, only to find herself standing with all she could, and threw the rock so hard it knocked the walker away from Louis.

He was free from its grasp with a sudden jolt and his hands grabbed onto his knife to sink it into the cranium of the walker, his eyes glaring right at the merciless being killed in front of him. He removed the knife and felt prickles of blood land on his face from the force, making him recoil back and look at Clementine.

She was laying against the rock now and was oblivious to the swarm of walkers making their way towards her. They could smell her blood, and Louis wasn't about to let those things take her. He had already killed two, what more did they want from him? He could take them on, child or no.

Clementine felt Louis lift her, "C'mon, we need to get out of here. Those things are everywhere!" He hissed, hurriedly walking with her leaning onto him for support.

Clementine couldn't understand what was going on. She was weak, she couldn't breathe properly, and a frantic Louis was trying to take her somewhere that she didn't have the energy to go to. She was becoming a burden for his safety, but she didn't have the strength anymore to tell him to leave her.

She was limping and he was walking as quickly as possible with her, hoping to outrun the walkers behind them.

But they were fast, and unfortunately, Louis had to push Clementine one more time out of the way to take the hit.

Louis fell onto the ground with the monster on top of him, trying to eat him. His eyes were wide and he desperately tried to reach for his knife—

Rotten blood spewed onto his face and his eyes closed from the impact, the walker going dead on top of him. He opened his eyes immediately when he felt the head of the walker hit his shoulder, and he pushed the thing off him, standing up.

"Are you alright, boy?" Someone asked him, taken aback from the voice.

His eyes regarded the man with bewilderment, "Sir, my friend—" He stopped talking when the man held up his hand.

The man with the strong voice and military uniform looked behind him to spot Clementine trying to stand up, "Quick!" He called as he raised his crossbow and aimed for a walker's head, "Grab her and let's go!" He said, shooting about three more walkers.

Someone ran past Louis at such speed he was alarmed, "I'm out!" He heard the military man speak as a man picked Clementine up, "Let's get out of here!"

"C'mon kiddos. We gotta get." The other man spoke, breaking into a run.

Louis had to be pulled from his arm twice to be notified that they _needed_ to run, away from the place.

He followed after them, faster somehow, taking a look at a bouncing Clementine in another man's arms, carrying her in such a way that made her look dead.

As they ran past trees and stomped the hard branches on the dirty terrain, Louis, among the groans of the walkers, could hear Clementine's soft whimpers, hoping more than anything that these people could help her somehow.

And from the way they were running now, it seemed that there was hope.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

They slowed to a walk when the breath of their lungs fell and their bodies became tired, their exhilarated adrenaline stopping for oxygen.

"I think... I think we're safe." The military man announced as he regained his breath, taking a look behind him to check.

"Yeah..." The other said, nodding, "Yeah, I think we're good." The man agreed, looking at the military man before looking at Clementine and Louis.

"Hey, are you two alright?" The man carrying Clementine asked, glancing down at her before regarding Louis wearily.

Louis opened his mouth to answer for both of them—

"I... I think so." Clementine managed to say, wincing.

The military man glanced at Louis, "Yeah," Louis replied, "Yeah, we're okay." He said, scolding himself for lying. No, they were _not_ okay. Clementine was hurt, and he was slightly scraped.

That convinced them, however, and they continued to walk without reproach. It surprised Louis, for he would be asking a lot more questions rather than keep quiet.

There was a small silence where nobody spoke, only walking to... wherever the two kids were being taken. It wasn't awkward—It was more grim than awkward. At least, Louis felt it be. He hated silence and wished nothing more for the sound of Clementine's voice to soothe his ears. Was that weird? He sure hoped it wasn't.

"What are you two doing out here?" The military man asked grimly, looking at Clementine. He said it quickly and with shocking dismay, which made Louis frown.

Clementine kept silent. And he did too.

"Where are the uh..." The man carrying Clementine stopped and looked behind him, "...the people you are with?" He asked, crinkling his eyebrows together in confusion, "There's no chance you two kiddos made it this long on your own."

"I don't want them thinkin' we're doin' anything but tryin' to help you." The military man added, precautious, as they had a right to be.

Clementine frowned and looked at Louis, "My friends and I got attacked." She replied.

"There was a woman with us. A group of men had hurt her, and we ended up here." Louis explained a little more, which earned a sad look from Clementine.

The military man hummed, "These folks mentioned what they were after?" He asked.

"They might've just wanted food," Clementine replied.

"We were cooking some sort of weasel," Louis added on, his mood dropping when he realized they lost the food because of the attack. _Damn_, he said internally, sour, _We lost everything back there_.

The man holding onto Clementine raised an eyebrow, "They attacked you for a weasel...? Damn. That is _low_." He said, glaring, clearly upset that these two kids went through something terrible over some stupid food. The man paused, pondering, "They didn't mention any names, right...? They weren't searching for anybody?"

"No," Louis answered when he realized Clementine wasn't going to, "Unless you count curse words as names, then _there's_ something." Louis joked, earning a chuckle from both men.

Clementine wasn't listening, for she did not smile, which made him frown a bit.

In reality, she _was_ listening. But because she was so focused on the terrible pain of the dog bite, she gnawed at her cheek and rubbed her teeth together, wincing all together from the bubbling uncomfortable injury on her arm. Every time the man carrying her would move, the material of her shirt would scrape against her wound, which made it feel like something was burning her. So, even if she thought his joke was funny, there was no way she could laugh at a time like this.

"Well..." Clementine felt the man's chest vibrate when he spoke, "I'm Luke, and this's Pete." Luke, as he called himself now, introduced, smiling.

"Hey there," Pete said.

"Hi..." Clementine replied, "I'm Clementine."

"And I'm Louis," Louis greeted, "Cool names by the way. Though, to be fair, you don't look like a Pete," Louis said, smiling up at the military man.

Pete raised a playful brow, "...Really, now?"

"Yeah," Louis said, "I feel like AngleHorn has a nice ring to it."

Luke winced, "You think so? I thought RoughHouser was a bit better," Luke suggested, which made Louis grin.

Clementine rolled her eyes, and then released a quiet hiss. She hoped nobody heard that.

"Now, now. My name's just fine, thank you." Pete conceded, waving his hand around. "And RoughHouser? Really? I'd go with George 'Blood N' Guts' Patton if I do say so myself." Pete replied, which made Louis chuckle.

"Not bad," Louis nodded his head, affirmative to the name.

Pete nodded back.

Luke shook his head with a smile, "Alright, alright. Well, it's nice to meet you two. Since it seems you guys are, well, to my knowledge, by yourselves, we're going to take you two back to our group, okay? And we got a doctor with us," Luke looked down at Clementine, "and you look like you could use some—_Oh shit_!"

Clementine was dropped to the floor harshly and landed on her arm, making her release a painful grunt.

"What?" Pete said quickly, glaring, "What is it?"

Louis dashed to her, eyes wide, "Wha—Why did you _drop _her!?" Louis hissed, glaring, holding onto her.

Luke looked appalled, "Shes... She's been bit, man. _Fuck_! Fuck, fuck, fuck... What are we gonna do here?"

Clementine gasped and clutched her arm, "No, it was a dog!"

"Yeah!" Louis said, glaring, "A dog bit her arm!"

"I didn't see a dog, you two," Pete said rather stern.

"Come on, kid. We _just_ saw you with those lurkers back there."

Louis glared and Clementine panicked, "It was, I _swear_." She said, hoping they believed her.

"Swearing doesn't make something so."

"No, no, no, no, I'm telling you the truth. Please," Clementine pleaded, eyes wide.

Louis held her good arm, "What the hell is wrong with you guys? It was a dog! I was there, I saw it!" Louis insisted, sensing her move her arm and instead hold onto his.

The two children looked at the men judging them, one angered, the other scared. They both had a right to feel such things, and yet, they both had realized that they didn't exactly blame the adults for thinking like that.

It was silent and Luke was pacing, while Pete seemed to be contemplating the information they had given him. It was a long shot, but Clementine hoped one of them believed them.

Pete had hummed as he stared vacantly far into the forest, "Alright," Pete approached, "Let's see."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, watch yourself." Luke said urgently.

Both Clementine and Louis glared. "_Really_ man?" Louis asked.

"Hey, don't give me that. Your friend's the one that's bit here, okay?" Luke said, defending himself.

Pete had brushed his childishness off and crouched to the level of Clementine, meeting Louis' glare. Pete offered a soft look and grabbed Clementine's arm, pulling the sleeve open.

Louis cringed at the crinkling sound that made his skin crawl, and he felt Clementine's grip on his arm tighten, indicating that she was in pain. "See?" Louis said weakly, looking at the bite distastefully, "Dog bite."

Luke's glare had softened and he uncrossed his arms, "Is it uh... Is it like they say?" He asked, coming closer.

Louis stayed silent while Pete scrutinized the bite. "Well, it could be a dog. Hard to say." He replied.

"It's a dog bite," Louis insisted, pointing and circling the attack, "It's _wider_, and not to mention, _long_. Do you see any walkers out there with _long_ _snouts_?" Louis asked, glaring.

Luke glared back, "Lookee here, kid, there are all types of lurkers out there, and one might just bite like _that_. Every damn one of those things is different," Luke interjected, making Louis quiet down.

Pete's eyes met Clementine's, "So where'd this _dog_ go?" He asked.

"Now what—What does _that_ matter, Pete—"

"I... I killed it," Clementine said, her expression morphing to one of oppression and regret.

"_What_? _Really_? A dog shows up and bites you and you just _kill_ it?"

"What would _you_ have done?"

"Hey, we didn't wanna kill it either!" Louis cried out.

"I don't _know_!?" Luke answered Pete, turning around dramatically.

"It _attacked_ me," Clementine spoke, voice small yet firm.

"Still...! You don't..." Luke stopped, frowning, "You don't kill dogs." He muttered, to which Louis couldn't help but agree.

Pete had considered what they said again, running the notes in his mind. He ignored Luke's dramatic speech about the dogs and instead focused on the bite on Clementine's arm, giving it a hard and lamentable inspection. If what Clementine and Louis stated were to be true, he would save two lives. And if it were proven wrong, they would endanger their group.

"...Clementine?" Pete asked, leveling his gaze on her.

Clementine looked at Pete's eyes, "...Yes?"

Louis made eye contact with Luke in the background and sneered, to which Luke huffed.

"You tellin' us the truth?"

Pete stared at her sternly while waiting for an answer, "Yes." She replied, her worried appearance shifting to stoic, looking right into his eyes when she said the one single word that would determine their lives. She felt dizzy still, and though she was able to breathe easier, the increased beating of her heart was making it hard for her to concentrate.

With that answer, Pete hummed and smiled. "All right, Clementine. That's good enough for me."

"—Well what _else_ was she gonna say?" Luke asked with a sassy notion, crossing his arms.

Pete pulled her sleeve back down and offered Clementine a hand, "I've got a good bullshit detector, Luke. That's why _you_ can never beat me at poker." Pete joked with a serious face, standing up.

"Pfft, you don't always beat me at... All right, how can you be sure?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow and glaring down at the two little kids. He had a soft spot for them, but he just... He wasn't sure they were alright, yet.

Clementine latched onto Louis for support and thanked him whole-heartedly when he had caught her and helped her stand properly. Louis then glanced at Pete, "I'm a key witness." He mumbled.

"You could be _lying_, kid—"

Pete shook his head, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm sure I ain't willing to leave two little kids in the woods to die when we got a doctor with us that can make a call. We can have Carlos take a look at it first." Pete explained, decided.

Luke looked troubled and took a peek at the kids before turning to Pete, "Nick ain't gonna like this... Not with what happened to—"

"You don't have to remind me of that, boy," Pete interrupted in a warning, scowling.

Luke frowned and crinkled his eyebrows forward, "Right. Sorry, sir." Luke replied respectfully.

Pete, upon seeing the sadness that overtook Luke's features, softened a bit and patted his shoulder, telling him it was alright. "Come on," Pete said and walked off, Luke following behind.

Louis felt Clementine limpen a bit. His hand tightened his grasp on her and paced with her to catch up.

It wasn't far from where they were; they only walked a few more steps until they saw a cabin covered with a light sheet of ice, and the sun hitting them at just the right angle.

Clementine still felt dizzy, and Louis, for how much he held onto her for her not to fall, was becoming tired from holding her. His muscles were beginning to cramp. He didn't want her to fall.

The adults ahead stopped and turned around once seeing the cabin, checking in on the kids behind them.

Luke was still glaring but he was worried on the inside, and Pete, for how intimidating he looked, was concerned. "Is she feelin' alright...?" Pete asked, looking at Clementine but directing his question at Louis.

Louis crinkled his eyebrows, "No—"

"I'm fine," Clementine strained, panting a bit, "Just... tired."

"Well, you better be fine. 'Cause I ain't carryin' you anymore with that bite in your arm," Luke replied with edgy scorn to his voice.

Louis glared, "You're acting like a complete and utter _assho_—"

"Don't..." Clementine held onto Louis tighter, "Don't worry about it..."

Louis felt her body relax, "...Clementine?"

Clementine couldn't stop it. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and without any more fighting, she let herself fall limp against Louis, which inevitably sent them both crashing to the floor.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

"_Don't tell me that! Not with what fuckin' happened._"

Clementine's body felt sore, her ears hurting from such volume.

"_Would someone mind telling me what the **fuck **is going on here_?"

Her eyes had opened a bit, blurry, and her body felt warm. She felt a soft cushion on her back as if someone was holding her.

"_Now hold on, Rebecca._"

"_We got this, don't worry._"

Clementine closed her eyes again.

"_Like hell you do. Did anyone even think to ask where they came from? For all we know, they could be working with Carver!_"

Her eyes opened, noticing Pete, and a few other people she didn't recognize. Something warm held her hand.

"_I already told you, we're not working for anybody. Please, believe me!_" Someone cried behind her, sounding very close and very familiar.

"_Can it, kid, we heard enough outta' **you**._"

"_Let the kid speak, boy. They already told us that they were attacked. Then the little girl was bitten by a dog_." Pete spoke, and Clementine winced at the brightness of the sun.

Louis hadn't felt her move, as he was too busy staring angrily at the stupid adults who wouldn't understand.

"_What? And you just believed them? You should've put her_ out of her misery right there." Someone argued, "Dog bite my ass."

Clementine was feeling worse by the second, and she needed to act quick. She could die from how much blood she lost, and there was no way she wanted that to happen.

She opened her mouth and sat up a bit, "_I_ _need a Doc_—"

Louis moved himself and Clementine out of the way the moment the gun had shot, frightening both of them, eliciting a gasp from Louis and a grimaced whimper from Clem.

They both looked at the one who shot the gun with hysteria and panic coursing through their bodies, afraid that he might shoot at them again.

Pete grabbed the gun from the guy wearing a cap, scolding, "Keep your finger off the trigger, boy!"

Someone burst open the door to the Cabin, "Whoa, whoa, what the _fuck_!?" Luke cried, sharply making his way over to the crowd.

"You _idiot_!" A pregnant woman exclaimed in anger, "Every lurker for five _miles_ probably heard that!"

"You're the one telling me to fuckin' shoot em'," The guy who shot argued back, glaring at the woman.

"Everybody just calm down for a second," A man with a scraggly beard said, motioning with his hands to remain composed.

"You two? Are you guys alright?" Luke asked, his mannerisms much softer than before.

"She just needs a doctor," Louis replied, "And then... And then..."

"We'll leave... I don't want my arm to get infected," Clementine murmured, glancing down at it.

"None of us want to get infected," The man reasoned, "That's the point."

Past the crowd, a man with a crooked nose and a lumberjack colored shirt exit the cabin, "We got a doctor right here, okay? He'll have a look," Luke said, gentle, pointing back to the small cozy home.

Luke turned around to look at the crowd, "Now what the _hell_ is wrong with you people? Okay, they're just scared!" He scolded, glaring at every single one of them.

The pregnant lady glared back and went up to Luke's face, "We're _all_ scared, Luke. Don't act like we're the ones being irrational just because we don't buy this bullshit story." She bit back.

"No way they survived out here on their own! Why are we even arguing about this!?" The guy with the cap added on, finding it stupid that they couldn't just toss these kids out and go.

The man in the lumberjack shirt had made his way through the crowd to reach the two kids and crouched down once he got close enough. "Let me take a look," He said in an accented voice.

Clementine had crawled back a bit, and Louis held her with his arms protectively, looking at the man with a warning in his eyes.

The man with the accent held out his hand, indicating politely that he wanted to see her arm.

Clementine and Louis stared at the hand and then at Luke, asking a reserved question of '_Is it safe_?'

Luke knew, and an empathetic response swarmed over him. "It's okay. Go ahead," Luke said, comforting them, "He's a doctor."

Clementine looked at Louis and then at her arm, before sitting up properly and pulling her sleeve up. She peeled the stuck fabric back, away from her cut, and winced at the contact. When she revealed it, the cut had opened and began to bleed again, and Louis, when he saw, made sure to hold her to remind her he was here for her.

In the crowd, the man with the scraggly beard grimaced and crossed his arms, "Damn. That must've hurt." He said, looking at the cut and shaking his arms, unable to imagine it on himself.

Louis glared, '_Obviously_', he said in his mind. His eyes turned to the man who grabbed her arm gently and inspected it, seeing him touch the raw skin and peer into the deep cut.

The man hummed, "Whatever it was," The man kept pushing at it, "It got you good."

The guy with the cap on was biting his thumb, troubled. Then, the worried look on his face became anger, and he advanced onto Luke, "This isn't how we do things, man. When you get bit, you get put _down_. End of story. I'm not going through this again."

Luke shook his head, "No one's suggestin' that." He refused.

"We _could_ take her arm off," Pete offered, piping into the conversation.

Clementine gasped as everyone turned their heads in Pete's direction, shocked. "What? No!" Louis denied. There was no way his friend was losing an arm over a stupid dog bite.

"I know that worked for a cousin down in Ainsworth. We _could_ try that," Pete went without a beat, serious.

"That won't do any good. You'll just be makin' it worse for the girl." The pregnant lady refuted.

The man with the scraggly beard made a '_no_' motion with his arms, "It's crazy. No one's going to volunteer to do that," He said, also not down with the idea.

"I would," Pete said, "If it means savin' her life."

Clementine and Louis sat together, petrified. They were scared they were going to die, and Louis held onto Clementine close, hoping that they wouldn't kill her. He regarded his attention at the same time Clementine looked at Luke with sad puppy eyes, begging him to stop this mess. They both did.

Luke saw their stare and frowned, "Hey, I'm on your side, kiddos. No need for a guilt trip," Luke replied with a melancholic tone, upset upon seeing the little ones so helpless in a situation like this.

Luke turned back to the group to reason with them a bit more, leaving Clementine and Louis to remain under careful watch from the doctor.

As they bickered, the door of the Cabin had creaked open just an inch and then opened more, allowing for the head of a young girl to stick out.

The two kids trained their eyes at the captured attention, noticing the girl with glasses adorning her curious face. "Who are they?" Her petite voice asked and she opened the door completely, allowing the view of her tall nature to be shown.

"Sarah? What'd I say?" The doctor said and stood up, turning his head, "Stay inside." He reprimanded.

The girl named Sarah frowned and closed the door slowly, leaving the two kids curious as to who she was. Perhaps she was like them, neglected and always belittled. It was the way of the kid in this world. They hadn't seen another kid since ages ago before the world became dark and a death zone.

After seeing the little girl go inside, the doctor went back to assess the damage on Clementine's arm. His handle was a bit rougher than before, but Clementine didn't mind. Louis did, but he kept quiet out of Clementine's sake.

He looked at the doctor, studying him, wondering what his deal was. He took a look at Clementine's bite and made a face of discomfort, unable to imagine the pain. His friend didn't deserve this. This was all his fault for not keeping the poor dog in place. He could've stopped this. And yet here he was, regretting his decisions.

"We don't mean to be any trouble," Clementine began softly, staring at the doctor sadly, "I just want to stop the bleeding and then we'll go."

"You'll never have to see us again, I promise," Louis added on, staring at the doctor with a pleading look.

The doctor looked at them with skepticism, "And where exactly would you two go?" He asked, returning to the bite on her arm.

"We can take care of ourselves," Clementine said, stern.

"Somewhere else, if we can," Louis answered the doctor, still somber, still confused. Clementine glanced at him and then winced when the doctor had pressured his fingers a little too hard on her cut, reminding her again what the problem was. How long was he going to examine it?

The doctor remained silent, and the group was back in the argument once again. "Carlos, we've been through this before," The man in the cap spoke up again, the only one seeming more angered about the situation than anyone else, "We all agreed—We don't wait for shit like this. End of story." He hissed, receiving various angered looks from some of the group members.

At the same outburst the two kids were growing tired of, the Doctor—Carlos, his name—stood properly and turned to face the group. The group, in turn, huddled around him.

"So? What do you think?" The man with the scraggly beard asked, rather careless and more protective of himself.

"Was it a lurker?" The man in the cap asked.

Carlos had his arms crossed and his expression was blank. "A bite like that... could be anything. Only one way to find out." He answered, surprising the group members.

"How?" Pete asked, equally serious.

"We wait," Carlos replied.

The pregnant woman became surprised, "_What_?" She asked, indignant.

The two kids were dumbfounded.

"By tomorrow morning, if the fever's set in, we'll know if she's gonna turn. In the meantime, we can lock her in the shed," Carlos said, turning his head slightly at an angle to look at them.

Clementine's eyes were widened, and she stood, wobbling, grabbing onto her arm while Louis held her for support. He was angry, from what Clementine could tell.

"_What_?" Louis muttered in an angry whisper, grabbing their attention, "What about her arm? It needs to get cleaned and—and stitched, and bandaged!" He exclaimed, inching closer to them.

The group held an equal look of scorn and pity.

"The girls in bad shape, Carlos." Luke tried reasoning, shaking his head in disapproval.

The fat man nodded, "We have all that stuff in the cabin, we could probably get by with—"

"_Alvin_, please." The pregnant lady hissed.

Alvin, the man with the scraggly beard, frowned. "But yeah... we can't do anything." He said regretfully.

Carlos turned to the two little kids, "I'm not wasting supplies on a lurker bite," He said angrily, scowling, "If it turns out you two are telling the truth, I'll clean it and stitch it up for you in the morning." He said, finality in his statement, and left off to go inside the cabin where it was warm and cozy.

"But..." Clementine mumbled and stopped when she realized there was no use.

"Then I'm staying with her," Louis said, pouting at them.

"No, I'm sorry," Pete said, "You have no bite on you, and I'm afraid that I can't allow you to get bitten if there's a chance she may turn," Pete said, earning surprised looks from the group.

Louis shook his head, "It wasn't a walker bite. It was a _dog_ bite. And—And I'm staying with her either way, and you can't stop me." Louis hissed, looking down and holding Clementine's hand.

Clementine looked at Louis with dismay, "Louis. It's cold out here. You need to get inside with the group," Clementine mumbled, removing her hand from his.

"What...?" Louis said, snapping his head at her, "What do you mean?" He asked, heartbreakingly so.

"It means you need to stay inside with us, kid. I'm sorry, but it's the best we're gonna get." Luke said, feeling guilty at the sight of a damaged Clementine and beyond worried Louis, knowing internally that he couldn't do anything else to help them. They were only kids after all, they weren't strong enough to defend themselves.

"I can stay with you," Louis said, turning his back to the group as they headed inside. He was whispering to her, and his eyes held a worry so grand it made Clementine sad. "It's cold, and you're hurt. There's no way I'm letting them take me inside and leave you out in the cold." Louis hissed, flared up when he thought about the stupid decision they made.

Clementine's eyes drooped and she frowned sadly at him, knowing he meant well. "Louis... I'll be fine. I'll just... I'll find things and stitch it up myself," Clementine said, ignoring the new bickering that started between Pete, the man in the cap, and Luke. "I'm sure there's some useful stuff in that shed." She told him.

Louis pondered for a minute. Then, he snapped his fingers, "What if I get you those things?" He asked, smiling.

How could he smile in such a situation like this? She didn't know. "No, Louis." She dismissed immediately, shaking her head. "It's fine. I'll just... I'll do something." She said, unsure.

Louis had frowned at her response but didn't argue. Clementine always knew best in situations like these, and he trusted her enough to follow her every command. He only hoped she knew what she was doing.

"Come on," Someone said harshly, a sourness to his tone.

Louis turned around with a glare.

Clementine looked at the man and then lowered her head sadly, knowing she was useless. She couldn't do anything at the moment.

"I'll wait for you," Louis whispered when she began walking, looking at her with a sad smile.

Clementine turned to him, eyes widening a bit. Upon seeing his smile, she returned it with one of her own, and then, with a small boost of hope, followed after the two men guiding her to the broken and cold shed.

"This is just a waste of time," Someone said, "You'll see. And when she turns, I ain't gonna be the one cleanin' up the shed." They said, bitterly and distastefully.

Clementine frowned once more.

"She got bit by a dog. You'll see." Louis retorted back to the lady, still watching Clementine go.

From his response, an unknown feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, and she allowed herself to hope once more.

Then, the mild pain in her arm had released a strong pang, making her wince. She turned to Luke who was walking beside her, frowning. "My arm _really_ hurts." She told him, hoping he would be able to try again and convince the people in the cabin.

Luke looked upset. "I don't know what to tell you except hold out the best you can. We'll see what we can do in the morning." Luke replied to her statement, disheartened to hear poor Clementine hurt and vulnerable.

"If I make it until then. Maybe _you_ could get me some supplies...?" She asked, knowing she told Louis no out of habit that she feared for his safety.

"I wish I could," Luke said wistfully, turning his head onward to focus on the path. "I really do. But it's too risky. Sorry."

Clementine's high chances of surviving had diminished in her subconscious. Reasonably, even if it _was_ irrational, they were right in some way to fear. But it was unfair that they treated her like this instead of just taking her inside and taping her to something. It would be _much_ better than staying out in the cold.

They opened the shed.

And Clementine squinted at it, before regarding Luke with a sad look. Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the man with the cap usher her inside with his gun, and she frowned before grudgingly heading inside.

And with that, they closed the door, leaving her inside to weaken in the cold.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

Louis sat still on the sofa looking at the closed blinds of the window. He was staring at it and has been ever since he was sent inside. It would have been the first time, for him, to be inside a home that was sheltered and warm since his time long ago when he was back at his mansion.

It was nice inside. It was safe from the walkers.

He would have enjoyed his time here if not for the fact that his friend, his dear friend whom he cared for and trusted with his life, was outside in a shed, in the cold, in the risk of walker activity. She was probably suffering in there with her bite and was probably losing more blood than she should have if they would've fixed it the moment they arrived.

In truth, he was very mad. Angry, perhaps. He wished those people would have gotten some common sense and help her. He didn't care about himself, he wanted Clementine to be okay. And now, he was where it was safe, and she was outside. She could be dead. She could be a walker.

She could be—

"Hey, kiddo. Are you alright?"

Louis didn't bother to turn around and instead focused on the small movement of a tiny shadow coming out of the shed from in between the blinds of the window. "Yeah, I'm okay," Louis replied, disinterested in the chat, noting that the little shadow had begun to make its way to the cabin. All the other windows were closed and covered, and this one just happened to have small spaces in between the blinds, allowing Louis to look.

Luke had looked at the covered window. "Do you... uh... need anything?" Luke asked.

Louis couldn't see the little shadow anymore. "A buffet of my favorite food, probably," Louis said, turning away from the window and regarding Luke with a raised eyebrow.

Luke let out a light chuckle. "Can I get you anything other than a buffet of your favorite food?" He asked in a joking manner.

Louis had appreciated the light talk, however, he couldn't help but think about the little thing he saw moving outside. "I don't think I need anything for now. I could eat, but I want to nap, too." Louis said, patting the couch pillow next to him.

"Oh," Luke said, frowning.

"Yeah... Thanks, though." Louis said, meaning it.

Luke nodded slowly. He paused. "You can sleep with Sarah if you want. The room's warmer." He suggested.

Louis shook his head and turned away from him to look at the window again. "I'm fine out here." He argued stubbornly. He needed Luke to leave. He wasn't sure why, but he had an inkling to force the adult to go.

Luke stared at the little kid fluffing the pillow, and watched him lay down. This wasn't fair. He understood why, but it wasn't fair. "Okay. But I mean it. Let me know if you need anything, kiddo."

Louis heard Luke's steps on the old wood. "Will do," Louis replied, even if he knew Luke had gone upstairs to probably retreat off for the night.

"House meeting in five minutes," Carlos's voice rung out in the house, making Louis jerk from the sound. He sat up a bit and looked at the stairs, seeing him come down. They met eyes, and as a greeting, Carlos nodded.

Louis ignored it. "What's going on?" He asked instead.

Carlos scratched at his beard. "The group is meeting for a discussion. Something you cannot join in on."

Louis scowled. "Is this about my friend?" He asked.

Carlos hadn't answered and headed off into the kitchen, repeating, "House meeting in five minutes."

Louis glared at him from behind. These people were the absolute worst.

For a little while, he ignored the whispers that rung from the kitchen and the rest of the members heading down the steps and into the kitchen, trying to regain his calm nature. These people were in here having a conversation, about his friend no less, without him! He had a right, he had a say in this whole operation. It wasn't they're fault they happened to stumble across them. They had promised to leave. But no, they insisted they'd say. Why had some of the group members allowed them to stay if the others weren't with it?

It would have been best if they fixed her up and let them leave. Maybe they wouldn't be stuck in a place where everybody wanted them out.

He lay against the sofa again, burying himself deep within the pillow. He wanted to cry. He wanted Clementine in here. She wasn't safe outside. But he didn't have a say. He was a weak little kid... and he was stuck with something he never wanted in the first place.

The group was talking about them. They thought he couldn't hear, but he heard their voices almost crystal.

"I've already made my decision."

"Well, Luke has more to say, I guess. Where's Sarah?" Someone said, and Louis instantly recognized the voice as Pete's.

"She's got her book. She doesn't need to be a part of this," Carlos said, and Louis' blood boiled. Who did those adults think they were?

He heard the door open.

He turned around instantly, standing up, away from the sofa.

Clementine stood there, closing the door, still grasping her arm.

When Louis saw her, he had felt instantaneous happiness.

"Clem!" Louis exclaimed in a whisper, and ran towards her, engulfing her in a hug.

"Shhh," Clementine said, pulling away from him, "They'll hear us."

Louis gave her an embarrassed smile. "Sorry," He said, and turned to the kitchen, "They're in the kitchen." He informed her, looking at her again.

Clementine nodded. "Are... Are they distracted?" She asked, still grasping his shirt. She must've not let go when he had hugged her.

Louis didn't mind. He didn't even notice. "Pretty much. I didn't see the pregnant lady come down yet, though."

Clementine made a thin line with her lips. "Do you think she'll hear us?" She asked, looking at the stairs.

"I don't know. But maybe you can look around and I'll be outside as a lookout?" Louis suggested, smiling at her.

Clementine sighed. "Okay," She said, going back to hold her pained arm, "But if someone's out where I'm in, just make sure to let me know by knocking on the door three times." She explained and headed off for the stairs.

"You betcha," Louis agreed and went upstairs with her.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

Clementine heard three knocks from the door, and her breath caught in her throat.

She was in the middle of telling Louis she found a clean needle while closing the mirror cabinet when she heard the three knocks. A dreading feeling made her stomach jump, and her eyes widened as she stared at the door.

Who was coming by that wasn't at the meeting? Louis mentioned the pregnant lady. Was she going to use the restroom?

"Oh no," Clementine whispered when she realized Louis was out there. He was probably going to get caught!

"That man sometimes, I swear!" The feminine voice of the pregnant lady said, and Clementine knew she needed to hide. She was confused, but she needed to hide. She can wonder where Louis hid later, as it seemed that the lady hadn't scolded or told the group what Louis was doing upstairs.

She looked around and locked her eyes on a wooden clothing cabinet. She dashed to it and cleared the door and closed it once inside, just in time when the woman had opened the door to the bathroom.

From the cabinet, she watched the woman close the door and lean against it, muttering out a stressed "Dammit..." as she covered her face with her hands.

The woman regained her bearings and walked to the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. Clementine held her breath, afraid that the woman would look behind her using the mirror and see that she was there. It was hard to see her, though. Especially in the dark.

"Just need to have this baby and... Oh god..." The woman reached for the water left in the sink to wash her face, no longer looking at the mirror.

Clementine was safe, for now. Hopefully, the woman would leave and not suspect anything.

Clementine saw the woman stand straight once more, and from the reflection on the mirror, the woman's expression represented one of worry. Was she worried about her baby? It would make sense.

"Let it be okay and... and let it be his," She whispered, making Clementine's eyes widen.

Clementine was surprised. But of course, she should have expected something like that.

The woman, after staring at herself with some sort of defeat, had turned away, breathing in deep. She looked at the door, frightened, and closed her eyes, letting the breath she inhaled go out.

She did it a couple of more times before exiting, leaving the room to Clementine once more.

After making sure she heard the woman head down the stairs, she left her place inside the closet cabinet. She saw the mirror again. She couldn't help but feel disgraceful.

Looking away from her reflection in the mirror, she reached for the handle of the door. She made sure to check to the right and the left for incoming members from the group before she left, feeling relieved a little upon not finding any. But her panic began to rise when she didn't see Louis anywhere.

"Louis...?" She called quietly, looking to her sides again. She tried looking down the stairs to see if he was waiting down there, but she didn't find anyone. Her lips curled downward and she went back to the small hallway, looking at the door sitting in front of the bathroom she came from.

With a sense of hope, she touched the handle and turned it, pushing the door open to peek her head inside.

It was then when she saw someone move away and hide, the silhouette looking suspiciously like Louis. As if to test her theory, she entered the room and closed the door, "Louis...?" She asked in a hushed tone.

The response was immediate. "Clem!" She heard him say and saw the same shadow pop out from behind a chair. "Thank god!"

Clementine felt herself smile when Louis made his way over to her, his face becoming visible from the light the candle gave off. "Did you hide in here?" Clementine asked, even if she felt like it was a sort of stupid question.

"Yep. Well, actually, no. I was going to hide inside the bathroom with you, but someone told me to hide in here," Louis said, tapping his head, imitating smartness.

"Someone _saw_ you?" Clementine averred, her smile dropping from her face.

Louis nodded, "It's okay, she's not going to—"

"She?"

The door opened again and the two kids turned to it, distracting them from their conversation. Clementine froze, her eyes going as wide as saucers. Someone found them.

"It's okay," Louis said, releasing a pleased sigh, "It's just Sarah."

Clementine glimpsed at him and then at the girl that emerged from the now-closed door. "Sarah?" Clementine tested on her tongue, frowning.

Sarah gasped when she saw Clementine, "S-she's not supposed to be here!" She said with a tremble, staring bewilderingly at her.

Louis winced, "I know, I know. But... she needs help. Can you keep it a secret, please?" Louis pleaded, pressing his hands together.

Sarah frowned, contemplating. "I don't know... My dad said I can't talk to her. He can't know," Sarah said with a slightly more stern tone, looking over at Louis.

"Scout's honor," Louis said, holding up one of his hands while making an 'X' on his chest with his finger.

Sarah smiled, "Okay. Thanks." She said. She turned to Clementine, "Hi. I'm Sarah."

Clementine glanced at her wearily. "I'm Clementine," She replied, polite.

Sarah looked at Clementine's arm, "You're bleeding." She looked at Louis, "Was it really a dog bite?"

"Sure was," Louis said, sighing.

Clementine shook her head, "Can you help us?" She asked, stepping closer.

Sarah nodded. "Don't worry. My friend Louis told me everything. It sounds scary," Sarah pointed out, looking at her arm again, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Clementine replied.

"Peachy. She just needs to clean it. Did you bring the stuff?" Louis asked, not at all perturbed that the nice girl addressed him oddly.

"Totally," Sarah said, lifting a small red bottle with a clear liquid. Peroxide. Just what she was looking for. "I couldn't find the needle, though."

"That's fine," Louis said, waving his hand. "We can find it somewhere else."

Clementine issued Louis a small smile, to which he returned with a bright one of his own. What would she do without him?

Sarah handed the peroxide to Louis, "Can she be my friend too?" She asked him, smiling.

Louis nodded, "Of course! We're all friends here."

Sarah turned to Clementine, "Hi. I'm Sarah. It's cool to meet you." She introduced, almost excitingly so.

Clementine offered the kindest smile she could. "Um... I know. It's nice to meet you too," She said.

"Oh, right," Sarah said, laughing a bit. "Sorry. I'm just excited. I've never had two friends before." She said, walking to her bed to sit down.

"Oh..." Clementine said.

Sarah looked out her window, and then at her book. "You guys should go. I might get in trouble if my dad finds you guys here."

Louis nodded, "Don't worry. We've got that covered," He assured and opened the door. "Pinky promise!"

"Pinky promise," Sarah repeated, more to reassure herself than him.

Clementine gave a curt nod to Sarah. "Thank you," She said earnestly.

"No problem. We're friends, aren't we? And friends help each other no matter what."

"Amen to that, sister." Louis agreed.

Clementine wasn't sure why that comment made her uneasy. It was just a simple thing. But... It just seemed odd.

Brushing away those negative thoughts, she left the room with Louis, focusing back on the bite that caused her so much stress. No matter Sarah's comment. She needed to get the bite situation out of the way first.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

"Let me come with you," Louis said, handing her the bottle.

Clementine looked at him, stunned. She could see the ambivalence in his eyes and the sullen look that manifested in his expression, as if in discord over earlier events. With hesitance, she shook her head at him. "I'm sorry. But if they find you missing, they're going to think we did something," Clementine said, dismissing his idea. It was nice of him to want to do so, though. Yet it was far too risky. Especially if there were walkers outside. But she wasn't going to mention that because she knew he'd only shut her up by telling her it was also dangerous for her too. She was younger than him, by a year, and her telling him that it was too dangerous for him was like a baby telling an adult not to vomit. They were both little kids.

Everything was dangerous for them.

Louis slumped. "It's not fair. You shouldn't be forced to be outside." He mumbled, upset.

Clementine looked glum when she took the bottle. "I know. But everything will be okay." She told him tenderly.

Louis let out a tired sigh. "I hope. I just... didn't like the way they treated you," He shook his head and brought his eyes up to meet hers, "They're just being so _dumb_."

"I know. But they were only trying to protect their group. I probably would've done the same too." She admitted, hearing the whispers of the group become louder. She should leave soon, they might discover them.

Louis rubbed his arm. "I guess. I don't much like it, though." He spoke.

Clementine grabbed onto the door handle, "I know. But we can't do anything." Clementine said exasperatedly. Her lips curled downward, and with a sigh, she spoke, "Stay here and wait for me in the morning." She ceased. "Everything's going to be okay," She said finally, feeling the hope that billowed off from Louis.

"Alright. It's not like I'm _going_ anywhere," He stated rather grumpy. His character softened, however, "Please be safe." He said, meaning it.

Clementine nodded. "You too," She said, and opened the door, leaving him behind to his thoughts.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

He stared at the door long after she left. He studied it, waiting for her to just pop out and stay with him, but he knew that was a long stretch. She wasn't allowed in the house. And he... was alone at the moment.

A glout formed on his features.

She shouldn't be out there by herself. He knows she told him to stay settled, but what if something happened to her? What if she stabbed herself when she tried stitching it?

He sat up from his position on the sofa, staring intently at the cushions below him. She could be in danger. He should check.

'_She told you not to._'

He pulled a face. He needed to make sure she was safe.

With uncertainty, he left the sofa and reached for the same door she came in and out from and turned his head in both directions to check if anyone was there. It seemed the discussion had eased down; he could barely hear their voices. It was fairly late, how much were they going to talk? Either way, they were occupied. There were a few who went to bed; Nobody was around.

He entered through the door and saw a broken hatch. He tilted his head in wonder and pulled it open, finding grass. Oh. So she went through the bottom of the house? He made a face as he dropped down and traveled out, only to find no opening. It seemed her... What did she do to get here?

He frowned and went back inside. That wasn't right. He has to go out the front door, now.

With a few peeks here and there, he went to the door and unlocked it, his heart beating a mile a minute. If anyone found him, he'd be screwed.

Luckily, though, he opened the door that had multiple locks with ease, and went outside, searching for the cabin.

He overlooked the walkers in the distance and made sure to keep quiet, both from the creatures and the group.

Making a complete U-turn, he went to the back of the house and spotted the shed they kept her in. He approached closely, and then he heard a crash.

There was a scream as well, and his heart sank.

That sounded like Clementine.

He heard Clementine's screams and bolted back inside the Cabin without thinking, making a loud noise when he forced open the door. He went straight for the kitchen, and without a care in the world grabbed a knife, alerting everybody in the room—

"Hey, what the fuck are you doing, kid!?"

"Are you crazy?"

"Stop him!"

Louis ignored their cries and headed out for the shed, only thinking of his friend. He could hear the group chasing after him, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. They would find out she had stolen from them. But perhaps... they might help her with whatever she's dealing with.

Louis _will_ help her. He won't ever stop doing such a thing. If the people of the cabin didn't do that, he didn't care. He would go down for her, no matter the situation. He was certain of that.

He felt himself getting seized, and he dropped the knife. "Hey! Let me go! My friend's in danger!" He shouted, struggling and pushing away the person who grabbed him. Did they want her to _die_?

Louis saw Luke run by him and reach for the lock on the shed, and with bated breath watch him pull out a key and unlock it.

Pete, the one that was holding onto him, moved closer as Luke revealed open the shed, "Holy shit...!"

"What the..."

Louis' eyes were wide when he found Clementine holding a hammer buried in a walker's skull, and he found himself without words when she pulled the hammer away with a strangled yelp. He saw bits of the brain fall to the floor, and as she turned around, he swore to himself that he felt... he felt something. Relief, probably.

She released the hammer, "How the hell'd it get in here...?"

She turned around, "Little girl's tough as nails," he heard Pete comment.

"You all right?" Luke asked. "The shed should've been safe."

"Clem..." Louis felt Pete slacken his grip, and he stood there, awed.

She was breathing heavily. She looked weak, bloody, and sore. With a menacing look, she glowered at the group before her. "I'm still..."

Louis could _feel_ her anger.

"Not..."

She never was.

"_Bitten_," She sibilated sharply, advancing closer, raging. "_I never_ _was."_

The group was speechless as they watched the strong little girl bluntly seethe at them, making them feel offended and rather guilty.

"And _you_ left me out here to _die_."

The man with the cap on scratched his neck awkwardly as the others remained still. There was a misjudged silence from them, and Louis hid the urge from telling them all that they were cruel and wrong.

Luke, among the crowd, had glimpsed then at her insignificantly bloodied arm, and his eyebrows rose. "You patched yourself up...?" He questioned, his tone appearing proud.

From his statement, the man with the cap stepped forward with a scowl, "Where'd you get that stuff!?"

The pregnant lady looked at her group with disdain, "Did she _steal_ from us?"

"This doesn't change a _thing_. She hasn't done anything to us," Pete proclaimed, trying to tranquilize the situation.

"Says the man _not_ carrying a baby," The woman riposted.

Louis walked closer to her and watched her frown sadly at the woman's accusation.

"I did," He heard her say, "I took stuff, and I'm sorry. I really am."

Louis' heart was squeezing with grief from the soft tone regarding failure from her voice. His heart accelerated much when he realized what she said, and his head looked behind him to glance at the group's reaction.

"And you think you can trust her?" The pregnant woman asked sourly as if to prove a point.

Louis snapped his head at the woman with a piercing glare. Alvin held his hands up when he noticed that.

Pete glared as well. "Goddamnit, don't even _start_. Any of you would've done the same if you were half as tough as this little girl. Hell, the boy could've done the same damn thing. So just save it." Pete defended, shaking his head lightly with disapproval over the actions of his group members.

Louis felt an appreciation grow for Pete at the sound of his statement, and turned to Clementine, glancing at her arm.

She looked at Louis in turn, relieved to see him still there. Her chest gave rise when Louis smiled sadly at her, demonstrating to her silently that everything would be fine. He wanted to assure her that he will stay with her no matter what happens. She knew, however, but appreciated his restatement nonetheless.

She saw him open his mouth as if he was going to tell her something—

"Bring her in and I'll take a look at her arm," Carlos said, departing from the group.

Louis watched the group turn away and follow behind him except for Luke, who stayed back with crossed arms. The words died on his tongue from the doctor's interruption—if he can even _call_ that guy a doctor—and he looked at Clementine.

The two kids turned to Luke after they exchanged a look of worry; one of them upset, and the other bothered, looking away. They saw that he looked guilt-ridden and troubled, which Louis couldn't help but feel slightly bad for. Luke _did_ drop her, but he was the only one, besides Pete, to defend them.

Their innocence that reflected in their deep saddening eyes reached into the adult's heart, and they saw him sigh.

"You two hungry?"

They were.

They only walked past him in reply.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

Louis stood back, keeping an eye on the man who shot at them earlier. He tried not to glare at him, but he was sure he was anyway. Louis was often bad at hiding what he felt, unlike Clementine, who looked completely fine despite the fact she was angry.

Clementine felt a pinch every time the doctor—_Carlos_, she corrected—touched her arm. It felt nice that it was now cleaned, and she appreciated that her stitches weren't undone. The bandage on it felt a little tight but otherwise fine, and she didn't understand why he kept touching it. It was getting pestering at this point.

She looked at Louis and noticed him looking at the man cautiously, which she copied. She tried to die down the anxiety welling up in her organ system when she saw the gun on the table and the impatient pacing of the man known as Luke around the table.

"This might hurt a little," The doctor warned, before firmly grasping her wounded spot.

She winced at the contact.

"How's she look...?" Luke asked, stopping his persistent walk around.

Carlos kept looking at her bandaged arm as he spoke, "Her suturing skills need some work, but otherwise I'd say she should be fine." He informed, looking at Luke.

Luke felt relieved. He stepped forward, "So it _wasn't_ a lurker bite?"

Louis mumbled, "I already said it _wasn't_..."

"If it was, the fever would've already set in and her temperature would be through the roof," Carlos said and ignored when the man with the cap on shook his head angrily as he stormed away dramatically.

Louis watched him go; he noticed how Luke looked conflicted and followed after him. Somehow, finding himself and Clementine by themselves with the doctor was a troubling feeling. "So... Is she going to be okay?" Louis asked, moving out of the way when the doctor went to the kitchen sink.

"Yes. The cut was deep, but as long as she doesn't pick at it or manage to damage it, she should be okay." Carlos replied, placing his hands into the water to wash them off.

Louis nodded in approval and issued a kind look over at Clementine, who failed to see it because she was flexing her arm and looking at the bandage wrapped around it. He didn't mind it at all. He was just glad that she would turn out alright. After today, nothing could deter his mood now.

Clementine put her arm back onto the counter and turned her head to look at Louis, who looked away and instead stared at the doctor washing his hands.

"I wish you two wouldn't've done what you did," Carlos proclaimed bluntly.

Louis blinked in confusion and Clementine stilled. The noise of the water moving around deafened the confounded silence, prompting various rises of fear within the two kids.

"What do you mean?" Louis asked cautiously, instinctively getting near where Clementine sat. Clementine hadn't commented, waiting for the doctor to reply.

"You manipulated my daughter," Carlos replied.

"I asked for her help," Louis said.

"She's not someone you can just _ask_ for help," Carlos told them, receiving silence as a reply. He continued to wash his hands and then brought them up, shaking them a bit to remove the excess droplets on them. "I'll give you two the benefit of the doubt, but there are a few things you need to know about my daughter," He added, staring out of the window, the moonlight reflecting across his face.

"Okay..." Clementine mumbled, unsure.

"She isn't like you two. You may not get that initially, but once you're around her for a while, you will both understand." Carlos said and looked at them with crossed arms. He looked disappointed; he looked like the average strict dad.

Louis rose an eyebrow. "Is she..." He stopped, furrowing his brows. Clementine glanced at him, reading over his face.

Carlos closed his eyes, "If she knew how bad the world is... What it's really like out there..." He paused and faced the window once more. "She would... cease to function." He opened his eyes, "She's my little girl. She's all I have left, and I would ask for both of you to stay away from her." Carlos stated, his expression softening to a deep caring worry.

"I'm sorry. We didn't know." Clementine said, though more on Louis' part rather than her own. She knew there was something off about the girl, but it seemed Louis wasn't aware of that. She should ask him about that later.

Carlos seemed appreciative. "It's okay. You are both forgiven. Just don't make any more mistakes," He still scolded, and walked to the door. There, he stopped, holding it open, looking behind him and spotting the two kids still staring at him. He gave a single nod and left.

Right after he left, the kind man known as Luke entered holding two bowls of what seemed to be food inside. He was looking behind him when he entered, watching Carlos leave. He turned around when Carlos was out of sight, "Hey uh... I brought you both some food if you're hungry." Luke declared, sounding awkward.

Clementine turned around with a smile, and Louis beamed.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

Louis sat down after Clementine did, making sure to take the seat next to her.

They were seated in front of a candle with a bowl on each part of their table, a spoon lying next to said bowl. Luke sat across from them, observing their childlike nature, feeling content that the moment they sat, they began to eat.

Clementine was the first to take a spoonful into her mouth. Her eyes closed in eagerness, and she hummed at the plain taste of the food. It wasn't anything extraordinary like the buffets the world used to have, but after a few days without eating, a nice meal was heaven for her.

Louis thought the same, and with a slight giddiness to him, gobbled up two spoonfuls of his food. It was the most beautiful thing, he thought.

Luke was staring at Clementine's busted arm. He tried not to imagine it on himself, for he knew that pain like that was the absolute worst. "That's gonna leave one helluva scar," He commented, hoping to break the ice.

Clementine pulled the spoon out of her mouth and ate. She swallowed, "Better than losing it," She shrugged.

Louis continued to chew on his food mindlessly.

Luke smiled at her response. "You can say that again. Scars... They're way cooler than stumps." He replied.

Clementine stopped eating.

Louis noticed, and paused to look at her. A miserable feeling overcame his eagerness upon viewing the sullen look on his friend's face.

"What?" Luke asked, confused.

"Nothing," Clementine answered, "I just had a friend who lost his arm once, that's all." She mumbled, thinking back.

Louis didn't remember knowing anyone losing an arm. Was this her friend Lee that she never liked talking about? Louis was confused, but he decided not to say anything. He respected her privacy.

Luke became afflicted with her statement. Just what had these two children seen? He looked over at Louis and found him staring at Clementine, worried as well. It seemed... he also didn't like it. He hadn't said a word not once since they sat, and he wondered if it was because he was busy eating, or because he didn't feel like opening up to him yet.

Clementine continued to eat despite the somberness that crept up in the atmosphere. She had her beatings, but for now, she would eat and enjoy her food for once in her life.

Louis turned away when he realized Clem wasn't going to continue her story furthermore. He began to eat in silence again, right until the white noise began to bother him. He put his spoon down in the half-filled plate and looked across from him. He offered Luke a questioning look, "Are you from the south?" Louis asked, shoving more food into his mouth. The humorous air had returned.

Luke perked up, "Why? Was it the accent?"

Louis gulped it down and smiled sheepishly. "Guilty." He said, putting the spoon down.

Luke nodded. "It's alright, kiddo. I used to get asked all the time." He said, assuring the little boy that it wasn't an offense to ask.

Louis smiled kindly at him. "Is anyone else from the south? Since y'know... this being the south. Actually, I have no idea if we're in the south." He paused. "Are we?" He asked, directing his question at Clementine.

Clementine looked at him blankly and continued to chew. Louis stared at her, waiting for her to respond, even if he knew she wasn't going to.

Luke was going to answer, but the opening of the door interrupted them.

The two kids' attention was caught and they looked. It was the man that shot at them earlier.

Clementine swallowed, and immediately, a bubble of anger had risen from her core.

Louis was blank-faced and continued to be when the man came closer.

He was at the edge of the table now, just staring at them.

Louis stared back equally as hard, thinking this to be some sort of contest. It certainly felt like it.

Clementine continued to eat. She didn't have time for complaints. She was so tired of today's events. All they needed was a little stitch up on her arm, but instead, they received an overdramatic disaster that followed in her having to _steal_ from them to keep herself alive. Louis would have been by himself if she hadn't gotten those supplies on time, and the worse thing was, she knew she would have died anyway if she would have stayed put. She would've become a walker either way.

The air became thick the longer the guy stood there, which was making the two kids very uncomfortable. Luke was just waiting for him to say something patiently as if he had a good idea of why he came in here in the first place.

As the minutes ticked and the candle began to burn away, the man with the surprisingly stylish orange cap on his head had moved his mouth, "Hey, look."

Clementine looked at him finally, and Louis, who had been staring, blinked.

The guy scratched his neck awkwardly, feeling intimidated by the harsh gaze of the two kids, "Um. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for... well... for being a dick out there." His voice quivered, but it was barely noticeable. "I got kinda aggro and that was definitely not cool." He said to them, sounding awkwardly sincere.

This surprised Louis, and only further bothered Clementine. She didn't hold grudges, but sometimes people deserved a good cold shoulder to learn from their mistakes.

"Nick's been known to go off every once in a while. Don't hold it against him." Luke said, waving his hand a little to signify carelessness.

Then again... She always was merciful when it came to the people of this realm. Maybe that's why she was always such a problem.

Louis considered Luke's statement, nodding to himself. Luke had been rude, but momentarily, he was acting very polite. It seemed that Luke knew the man known as Nick very well; it was obvious, he was in this group longer than they were in this half-day period. If Luke had changed his mind about them, maybe Nick was being sincere about his actions earlier in the day. He _did_ see it was an accident when he shot. Louis would know that having an itchy trigger finger is bound to conduct accidental shots. Yeesh. He'd rather not think about it.

Louis shrugged. "It's cool." He said, offering a polite grin.

Clementine smiled as well. "You were just protecting your friends. We get it."

Nick, unbeknownst to them, felt an agonizing relief wash over him. He scratched his neck again, "I didn't mean to be so harsh. I just... We had a bad experience once." He mumbled, his voice going morbid.

Louis nodded numbly, and Clementine frowned at his statement. "We've all had bad experiences," She said wisely.

Nick sat at the end of the table by Louis, and he looked at them, the sadness he was hiding trying to come forth to the surface.

Louis could see the sadness reflected in the man's eyes, and for a moment, he felt what he did.

"Nick lost his mom. We took care of someone who'd got bit." Luke explained softly.

Nick looked at the table with shame, "It was my fault. I—"

"It was _no one's_ fault." Luke corrected, "We thought we could control it, but... we couldn't. And then she turned, and his mom was standing right there and she got attacked..."

Nick closed his eyes as he played the memory back.

"There was nothing we could do about it," Luke continued somberly, his eyes looking at Nick and then at the candle that fluttered over the breeze of his breathing.

Louis seemed to have the group all wrong. Clementine was right, they had their reasons to treat them the way they did. Maybe he should start considering that everyone suffered from trauma, whatever kind it was.

Nick opened his eyes and breathed out. He needed to keep his emotions in check, he thought. "Anyway. Hopefully, you guys understand." Nick muttered as he stood from his seat.

"Bad things have happened to everyone," Clementine answered, rephrasing it in a way that let him know that she understood and empathized with his tragedy.

Nick smiled from her response.

"Also," Louis said all of a sudden, "For the record, you have a nifty hat. Can't say it's better than Clem's, but it's stylish," Louis complimented, grinning.

Nick touched the hard part of his cap, "Oh... Really? It's pretty old. But uh... Thanks." He replied.

"You're welcome," Louis answered.

Luke shook his head, "That thing is _darn_ ugly." He snickered.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever. I'm gonna turn in. I don't need you making fun of my hat again, Luke," Nick phrased, brushing his comment off and heading out the door.

"Whatever, communist," Luke joked, which was answered with a swift birdie from the door.

Louis blinked at the gesture, "Was that the middle finger?" He asked innocently.

Luke turned to him, "Uh... Nope. That was... That was this finger here," He said, holding up his pointer finger, "Obviously."

Clementine regarded the two males with a dry look.

"_Ohhh_, that makes sense. My parents taught me that using the middle finger was of low-class," Louis said statistically. There was a brief silence as he computed what he just said, a frown making it's way to his countenance. His parents always told him that, even back when the apocalypse first started. Too bad they weren't around to tell him what to do anymore, even if he hated it before.

Now... All he wished was to be reminded never to take music lessons again. It was a twisted thought of his, a doubtful one that pestered his mind. Maybe, just maybe, he could've acted better. His parents deserved better.

Clementine discerned the way his demeanor changed abruptly. She could see how he froze when he recognized what he said and the way his bright eyes became dull at the saddening reminder; the face of someone broken had taken over his once childish features.

"Low class...?" Luke asked, perplexed.

Louis tapped his spoon lightly against the edge of the bowl. "Um... Yeah. My parents were rich. Like, super-rich. We had a lot of mansions and everything," Louis said, "I had some in Georgia, in um... Washington—D.C by the way—and in New York." He explained, hoping to squash down the conflicted feelings in his chest. It was useless, however. It seemed the more he talked about it, the deeper the pain seemed to seep in.

Luke looked surprised. "Yeah? Well, that must've been a hell of a life. I'm sure you were spoiled the hell out of there before everything went to wreck."

Louis made a face. "No. Too bad for me, I didn't get everything _I_ wanted." He muttered, a hollow chuckle following after.

The man in front of them had frowned sadly from such a statement. His eyes looked down at the table as his fingers picked at the white cloth loom, thinking.

Clementine continued to eat, as she was still hungry, and watched the man guiltily stare. She wondered if it was because of how he treated them earlier and is trying to find a way to apologize. It wouldn't matter now, she doesn't care too much when things are done.

Maybe he was mulling it over.

Louis sighed. It was no use, he wasn't going to ever get over his parents. He was just so tired of feeling sad and alone all the time, he wanted a break from it all. He wanted to make jokes, he loved seeing the smiles of others who deserved it. He loved seeing them so happy, and now, almost all the happy smiles he grew to get accustomed to were gone. He felt trapped.

There were just deaths. All around him.

People died and others had to move on, and he had seen so many...

The only person who had stayed with him through it all was...

"So... since you two are pretty much on your own... What's the plan?" Luke spoke, the guilt-ridden eyes of his gone. Clementine could tell though; he was still upset. It wasn't anything new to her. She sees the sadness in everyone's eyes now.

Clementine put her spoon down and looked at Louis, questioning.

Louis looked at her as well and shrugged.

"We don't know..." Clementine answered wearily, shrugging, "We're kind of on our own now."

"Well, both of you are welcome to stay here if you want. Y'can let yourselves heal up and take some time to sort things out." Luke replied, quickly suggesting the group's cabin. He wasn't about to let two children wander off by themselves where the dead roamed. Call him heartless if he ever did such a thing.

Louis drummed his fingers anxiously on the table, "Do you think everyone else will be okay with it?" He asked.

Luke smiled at their worries. "They'll just have to deal with it," He said, his smile widening when he saw Louis smile back.

Clementine attempted a smile too. She was still uneasy though. She knew well that the cabin members weren't fond of her; Louis could probably go around and be loved. They seemed very nice to him. Not that it bothered her, she liked the attention Louis brought. That way, she could hide and not be bothered by everyone else.

Louis and Clementine continued to eat in silence. Their food was almost done and for once Clementine realized that they were full enough to continue another day. They were still hungry, though. Days of running and no food with only bits of purified water had taken a toll on their fragile beings, and though the sky darkened, they knew it was still fairly early. Still, though, they had plenty of time to finish their rather empty bowls. The place was warm too, so they could easily fall asleep in a sheltered place such as this.

Luke eyed them, tapping his fingers onto the table nervously. He glanced at the candle and their bowls, pondering.

"So..." They two children looked up at him in question, "What happened to your parents...?"

Louis froze and Clementine frowned.

"...If you don't mind me asking," He added softly.

Clementine eyed him wearily, "I mean, I assume what happened to them is what happened to just about everyone's parents." He said, kind and understanding. It looked like he too lost his own, perhaps before the apocalypse started. "You two are just so young... didn't think you could've made it by yourselves for so long, but maybe you did." He sounded unsure.

Clementine looked down at the table with dismay. "Other people took care of us..if that's what you're asking," Clementine replied.

"I was just curious about how you both made it this far."

Louis moved his fingers, uncomfortable. His heart was beating fast; the mere thought of his parent's death brought such panic in his piteous soul.

"We just tried to stay with good people and not do anything dumb," She explained, moving one of her hands to move the spoon back into its proper place. She was sad and she stared beside her, trying to avoid eye contact with the man across from her.

Louis watched her closely, debating whether to comfort her or sit still. Clementine liked affection, he knew, but perhaps hugging her would only make her more upset. She avoids topics of her past and he respected that; he was the same, so he understood that people trying to pry into someone else's private life was just another cycle of regret and depression.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have asked." Luke apologized, shaking his head with guilt.

Clementine gazed tiredly at the wall behind Luke, heartful. It ached, "My parents went on vacation and left me with a babysitter... and they never came back." She looked at Luke properly now, "We went to Savannah to find them... But they were already dead." Her eyes looked back down at the table in sorrow.

Louis unintentionally placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. He had this look on him resembling that of sadness and she returned one of her own, finding a sort of protection from him. It was reflected in his eyes, and she found a soft comfort that made her feel funny inside.

"Wow..." Luke frowned, "Well I'm sorry to hear that." He said, and he meant it.

Clementine's had brightened faintly for the quickest of seconds. Louis noticed, and kept quiet when she began to speak. "This... man found me and took care of me. We met up with other survivors and we all tried to make it but..." She returned to her normality; the sadness was all he ever saw. "...it didn't work." She mumbled, her voice so soft yet loud in the suffocating silence in the room.

She felt Louis let go of her shoulder. It was cold the moment his comfort left, and she would've felt disappointed if it wasn't for him holding her hand from under the table. She didn't look at him. She didn't need to. The thought of her guide came back to her, and her heart ached at the thought. "His name was Lee."

Louis felt her squeeze his hand.

"He taught me how to survive." Clementine paused and her expression became blank when she remembered, "He's the reason I keep my hair short."

Louis could see the small curl of a smile on her lips, which he couldn't help but do all the same. So much sorrow in one sitting... It was getting him overwhelmed. He'd take Clementine smiling than sadness any day.

Luke was still frowning with a sad nature. "What, uh, happened to him...?"

Clementine's smile fell from her face. "The same thing that happens to everyone." She closed her eyes in shame and then opened them again, "But he saved me, first. _Lots_ of times..." Her voice exasperated on the word, sounding like she grasped it times too many.

Louis hadn't realized she pulled him a bit closer. He often didn't mind when she would. Kids should stick together, he realized, in a world such as this.

"Well. Sounds like he was a real good guy," Luke complimented.

"Yeah." Clementine replied kindly, "He was."

Luke took in the little girl's words. He didn't comment on their nearness because he understood, and her story made sense otherwise. He knew they weren't part of Carver's camp; there was no way these kids could've made it on their own. He wondered about Louis' parents though, but Clementine mentioned a 'we' in her story. He presumed Louis was there as well.

Then... These kids... This wasn't at all fair. What a life to live if all they've ever known is loss, abandonment... Their lives were never of childhood, at least now that the dead began to roam and the living decreased in numbers every day.

Just what else had they seen?

Someone entered into the room, "I hate to interrupt, but I'm out there standing watch and I can't help but notice this place is lit up like a goddamn beacon in the middle of the woods." Pete said with a humorous edge to his tone, a smile present on his face. He pointed at the open blinds of the window, a perfect entrance for someone to snipe.

They regarded their attention to Pete, surprised to find him still awake. Louis was _sure_ he went to sleep.

"Yeah, it's time to turn in anyways." Luke agreed, directing his response more to the two kids than the grown man standing.

Pete walked toward them, "And get your winks while you can. 'Cause we're goin' fishing at first light. A couple of fresh brookies for dinner?" Pete paused to hum, "Wouldn't that be nice."

Luke stood from his seat and left, only turning around when Louis waved at him. He waved back, holding back a chuckle of amusement from the odd gesture.

Pete smiled at them, assuring them silently that it was okay now. When they smiled back, Pete tipped his head in departure and left the room as well.

The room became silent again. It wasn't awkward anymore as it had been. The kids were by themselves, away from all the adults who disliked them. Pete and Luke may be another story, and Nick, in the little children's eyes, was becoming more of a person deserving a chance. They still didn't trust them. Clementine was still uneasy and Louis was still fearful of what they would say, even if his anger from before was still raging within his very soul.

It wasn't like him to get angry. He was more of the humorous type, along the sides of clumsy and most likely annoying. Being angry wasn't part of who he was, mostly because he was too busy dealing with the fear of being eaten or killed by another human being.

Clementine was used to feeling uneasy. She didn't trust just anyone, and the person who she trusted last was now gone. The only person around who she truly trusted was Louis. He was willing to give his life to her, that much she knew, and she wasn't the type to take advantage of that. After all, she promised herself she would do the same.

"Was it the same man who you talked about when we were still in Savannah?" Louis asked, curious truly, but sad still.

Clementine perked up and her whirling thoughts stopped, her body going still. "In the mansion?" She asked softly, still looking at the wall.

Louis' eyes drooped. "...Yeah." He said.

Clementine looked at the candle again, the only one that managed to stay on when the men part of the group left. Her eyebrows furrowed and she tried not to cry. "...Yeah..." She replied, glad to hear that her voice didn't break. She was supposed to be strong for Lee. That's what he wanted from her, to survive when the others didn't. There was no time to cry.

Louis noted the way her eyes became glossy from the reflection of the small fire that kept the candle melting, and found that the cause of such reaction was of his question. His questions regarding her past immediately died down and were replaced with the same whacky jokes she probably grew used to.

"Sorry," He apologized, laughing sheepishly, "I didn't mean to talk too much." He told her, frowning.

Clementine blinked a bit too rapidly, attempting to remove the tears without wiping them herself. "It's okay. You heard a lot of it, anyway." She mumbled.

He tried to smile, "You know, we would be out in the cold right now if it hadn't been for these people," Louis mentioned, pointing at the doorway.

Clementine looked to find nobody there. "Yeah," She said, glad on the change of subject, "That was nice of... them." She said, sounding a little bitter.

Louis noticed but didn't comment. "And talk about a nice place. There's a fireplace and _everything_," He attempted to whistle but failed, only sounds of blubber coming out. He pouted and heard Clementine laughing quietly. He looked at her and couldn't help but smile, a rise of happiness sprung from seeing something happy about her for once.

"Hey now, just because I can't make noise with my mouth doesn't mean you get to make fun of me," He said jokingly, his hand pulling her cap down lightly.

She brushed his hand away and let go of his other when she did so, laughing a bit more now. "It's not my fault, is it?" She asked, her laughing now died down to a smile.

Louis wasn't bothered at all that she let go. "Can _you_ whistle, Clem?" He asked, issuing a mischevious smile at her.

Clementine rolled her eyes, the smile still playing at her face with her body now turned around fully to him. "No. But I think I'm better," She said, not convinced in herself that she was.

Louis narrowed his eyes, "Oh _really_—"

"Oh. You both are still here."

Louis stopped talking and turned to look at the voice that spoke to them, his eyes widening. He instantly felt uncomfortable when he met the eyes of the pregnant lady and he looked down immediately. He put his hands in front of him, frowning again, feeling rude that he intruded in their home.

Clementine didn't bother to give a second glance toward the woman. She paid her no mind when she walked past, only continuing to eat the last of the food on her bowl. She heard the sound of water moving and didn't care for it; she took a look at Louis to find him upset. She felt fury dive into her. But she kept quiet.

"I wouldn't get comfortable if I were you."

Clementine stopped mid-way from eating the last of her food, turning to the woman. Louis did the same, but he was already done with his food.

She saw the woman still moving her hands in the sink, looking away from them, the sound of water the only indication that she was using it. To do what, who knows. There was a challenging spirit coming forth from her, and as best as she could, mustered up the most innocent of looks.

"Whose baby is it?"

The woman scrubbing stopped abruptly. Her head inched sideways in the two kid's directions, "Excuse me?" She asked.

Louis widened his eyes. He looked at Clementine for answers but she wasn't looking at him.

Clementine's eyebrows narrowed, "If it's not Alvin's, whose is it?" She asked, sounding demanding now.

The pregnant woman walked up to them, her eyes wide as if daring them to continue. She looked at Clementine mostly, as she recognized she was the one who was bitten. "You shut your _fucking_ mouth," The woman hissed, a scared threat.

Clementine glared now, not perturbed from the woman's menacing anger. Louis didn't look the woman in the eye and decided to keep himself busy with staring at the empty bowl in front of him. She didn't like her. Not at all. "You should probably think about being nicer to us," Clementine said idly, turning around again to stare at the wall when the woman said nothing, "That's just my advice."

The woman scowled. "I knew you both were going to be a fucking _problem_," She growled, making a face when Louis glanced at her, "You got what you came here for. Now _go_." She said, directing it more at Clementine rather than Louis. Louis got the memo, though.

The woman turned on her heel and left the kids snobbishly, strutting toward the door. It made Clementine mad that the woman still treated them like that, but she knew people wouldn't like them just because.

Louis knew as well, and though humiliated, he was glad she was gone.

"She's dumb," Louis muttered, sighing.

Clementine didn't reply. She looked at her bowl and her last spoonful, suddenly finding that she wasn't so hungry anymore.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

It was a bright morning and the sky was orange in color, the birds awake and overhead looking like shadows. The pine trees gave an eery glow that matched that of the sky, looking wonderous and sparkling from the remaining dew of the rain that was nights before.

Three figures scaled the grassy ground through the pines, stomping through the various pinecones scattered across the floor.

Amongst those figures was Clementine, who held her damaged arm closely more to relieve the pain rather than to bid the cold from seeping into her body. She had a downcast expression that mirrored her friends' beside her, and to the best of her ability, tried to hide it from the third figure; the grown man that was leading their way.

"How you two holdin' up? I heard y'all got an earful from Rebecca last night." Pete said, walking slowly in front of them with his rifle gripped tight. "Once she gets goin' there's no bringing her back. Her bark's worse than her bite." He turned his head a bit sideways to look at the small kids while he talked, seeming a bit upset.

Louis stayed quiet with only a simple sigh as an indication he heard him, rubbing his neck tiredly. Turned out sleeping on the ground in a home is just as bad as sleeping on the ground outside.

"What's her problem?" Clementine spoke with a sour scent to it, still bitter from last night. Who _wouldn't_ be?

Pete let out a tired sigh of his own. "Well, she's got a lot on her mind, lately. Bringing a baby into a world like this?" The three of them walked over an old wooden door that served as a bridge from the open gap of the terrain, mindlessly ranting themselves their own stories of the state of the group themselves.

Clementine stopped holding onto her arm and ran up to catch up with Pete's fast pace, Louis following behind. They were on either side of the adult, looking like a pack of trios that had some troubling thoughts in mind. Louis looked more of it that Clem, or, really, showed more of his features than her. "How far are these fish traps?" He asked, and ignored when Clementine shut her mouth. It seemed she was also going to ask the same thing.

"It ain't that further," Pete replied.

Clementine, silent, glanced at Pete. She examined his clothes and then stopped to eye his rifle, feeling intimidated. She was still a dumb kid, after all. At least, that's what she thought.

Pete noticed and found her curiosity normal. "Anyone teach you how to shoot? Either of ya?"

Louis placed a questioning finger over his lip.

Clementine just looked at Pete.

"By that, I mean taught proper," Pete elaborated, hoping one of them would say yes. "Any idiot with a finger can shoot."

Louis stopped what he was about to say.

"My friend Lee taught me," Clementine responded. She slowed her pace when she saw a wired fence obstructing her pass. There was an opening in the middle, though.

Pete went over the barbed wire on the bottom and stood by as he watched Louis and Clem do the same. "That's good. It's important nowadays," He said and continued to walk.

"I don't... I don't know how to shoot." Louis mumbled, feeling left out.

Pete offered him a smile. "I could teach you. Not much of practice if you know where to aim," Pete explained, brightening Louis' mood.

"I can teach him... too," Clementine mentioned.

Louis grinned at that. "Really? You've never bothered before," He said.

Clementine glanced at her forearm, the wound still hurts. The pain was mild compared to yesterday's, however. "Christa said that making you learn was too dangerous," Clementine frowned.

Louis shrugged. "I guess."

"Nick was about your age the first time I took him huntin'." Pete smiled at the memory, "Came across this beautiful 13-point buck just standin' there on the ridgeline," Pete stopped to emphasize his point and waved his hand slowly in one direction. He lifts his rifle and points in a random direction, "The boy takes the rifle... lines up the shot just like I taught him... then I hear him start whinin'." Pete said in an affectionate tone, lowering the rifle.

"He turns to me and says, 'I can't do it. I can't shoot it, Uncle Pete. Please don't make me shoot it.'" Pete says in a higher-pitched tone of voice, a look of sympathy imitating on his face from his memory being told.

"Aww... That's sad." Clementine said remorsefully.

Pete smiled at her.

"I wouldn't be able to shoot one of those things either," Louis admits, holding his left hand up while placing his right hand on his chest. "I felt bad when Clementine had to kill that dog..."

"We all have our moments, son. You'll grow out of it quickly," Pete waves off, not helping Louis' situation all that much.

"Hey!"

They turned behind them.

Nick was running up to them, holding his rifle, "Why didn't you wait?"

"You want us standin' around while you piss on a tree? You know where the river is, boy." Pete lectured, sounding stern.

Nick stared at him, bothered.

Pete began to walk again, ignoring Nick's aggravated look, merrily continuing the story as they did. "Anyway, so I grab the gun out of his hand before this big buck runs off when _BANG_! The gun fires. Boy nearly gutshot me. And of course, the buck gets away." From behind them, Nick is glaring at his fatherly figure, glancing occasionally at the two kids listening intently to the story.

"What're you goin' and tellin' them this shit _for_?" Nick demanded, glaring embarrassingly at the adult. They stopped walking.

Pete turned around with irritation igniting in his eyes. "Cause you almost blew their _faces_ off yesterday. Seems relevant. Tryin' to let em' know it's nothin' personal with _you_." He explained, scowling.

"Why are you always giving me a hard time?" Nick stood straighter.

"Because you're always givin' everyone _else_ a hard time!" Pete reproached.

"I apologized already. They _accepted_." Nick continued.

Louis blinked, confused, while Clementine watched the scene unfold before them.

"Okay, well, I didn't _know_ that."

"It's fine," Louis said, smiling.

"He apologized." Clementine smiled as well.

Their words went to deaf ears.

"You're always trying to embarrass me," Nick said resentfully.

Pete flared a bit, "You're doing a _good_ enough job of that on your _own_!_"_

Nick frowned. Quickly, his frown was replaced with a scowl, and the sad look in his eyes mixed with his anger. He shouldered past Pete, "Leavin' us _again_." Pete announced.

"I know where the fucking river is," Nick hissed, and kept walking, not bothering to look back.

There was a doubted silence as the three individuals watched Nick leave. Pete looked upset about it, as the frown on his face depicted a fatherly band broken once again. The hidden remorse between the pines had refreshed the memory of the sky and reversed the happiness felt forth as they stepped on the ground, treading on without a word. At least, that's how Pete felt.

"So anyway... I found that buck later that season. Shot it right in the neck. Brought it up to my sister's figurin' she'd want to freeze some of the meat... Nick didn't speak to me for weeks." Pete explained further, troubled. Clementine looked at Pete and then in the direction Nick went, wondering to herself why they acted so unmannerly. They were family, weren't family supposed to help each other? "Sometimes you gotta play a role... even if it means people you love, hate you for it." He put a hand on his hip with a sad expression and stared off to the way they came from, thinking gloomily to himself as the sun brightened ever more in the sky.

"He doesn't hate you," Louis said, shaking his head.

"You should tell him that," Clementine said, nodding her head further in the direction where they were going.

Pete remained silent and contemplated their words. He made various expressions, thinking about what to say, considering what they were telling him. These kids were wise; had they lost their family members all the same?

"_UNCLE PETE!_"

Louis and Clementine flinched as Pete's stomach twisted in knots, their heads snapping in the direction of where Nick's voice came from. There was a moment of pause until they bolted, running toward Nick, scared out of their minds.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

"Nick...!?"

They slowed their pace upon seeing Nick still standing, looking at the ground with great perplexed panic. Louis took notice of a body lay sprawled on the floor and immediately looked away, following after his friend and Pete. They stopped next to Nick who clutched the rifle of his with his dear life, their eyes going wide at the same time.

Pete cringed, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."

Louis held his breath with induced panic upon viewing corpses scattered all over the area, bloodstains even below their feet. The water ran and moved the arms of the dead by the edge, their bodies almost twitching; were they still alive?

Clementine observed the scene, shocked but not appalled, for she had seen far worse before. Six bodies could be seen on their side and about four more in the middle, with three on the other. There were rocks and wooden drafts that most likely covered the bodies of at least two more on the far side, which made a grim expression form on Clementine's child-like features.

Pete was the first to move and approach the first body that was only a few feet in front of them. His gun was loaded and ready to shoot, and with the tip, poked at the dead body. It didn't move, and he stood properly again, disturbed. "Fulla holes," He informed.

"Who do you think did this?" Clementine asked, worried. Louis, out of anxiety, reached for Clementine's hand and clasped it. She felt it and didn't look at him, aware of the situation, and only held his hand back in assurance.

"Not sure yet. But it ain't your average gang'a thugs, that much I know."

"...Think about it. You're Carver, what do you do?" Nick asked.

Louis and Clementine looked at him. "Who's Carver?" They asked simultaneously, their hearts plummeting.

Pete and Nick looked at each other and then back at the two kids.

"Check those guys there," Pete said, completely avoiding the question.

That only rose more questions from the silent duo.

"Be careful," Pete looked around a bit more, "Some of em' might still be movin'."

Nick waved his hand from behind to signify he heard him, and they separated, Pete going for the two in the middle, Nick for the two on the right side, and the two kids for the remaining pair near the middle.

They held each other's hand as they approached the zombies, Louis making a face upon inhaling the scent of the dead. Clementine ignored it and crouched down, shaking a bit, investigating the corpse. "This one's shot too..." Louis announced beside Clementine, looking at Pete.

"Through the head?" He asked.

Clementine looked at the face splattered with blood and the dried hole that dropped crumbs of the brain when it was moved to see. "Yeah..." Clementine replied.

"Check the rest. And look for ammo. We're runnin' Low," Pete said with a frown, focusing once more on the corpses he had.

Louis felt uneasy as they were left to check more of the dead men, his eyes glancing behind him every once in a while. Clementine could feel his body shake from the way he held her hand and she turned to him, furrowing her brows. "Are you okay?" She asked kindly, soft so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Just peachy." He replied with an anxious smile.

Clementine frowned. "It's okay to be scared you know. I'm scared too." She said.

"Oh... Then I'm _super_ scared," He admitted with a slight chuckle, "If you couldn't tell already..."

Clementine looked at the dead human and found its face practically unrecognizable because of how many holes it had. She didn't have a reaction to that. "I've never seen so many gunshot wounds on a person before," She muttered, backing away from the corpse.

Louis took a look for himself and grimaced. "Me neither... It looks like a monster, almost." He bent down and picked up a stick with his free hand and proceeded to poke at the thing. A brown ooze came out of a punctured hole that had been covered, and Louis stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"Do you think the Carver guy they said did it?" Clementine asked and looked around the area to spot the ones in the middle. She centered on something colorful, narrowing her eyes at the body she saw twitching earlier.

Louis was still staring at the face of the one in front of them, bothered. He was just too paranoid to even comprehend what he was looking at. "I don't know. But whoever it was, they're probably out here still to find us and kill us..." He swallowed. He looked at Clementine; she was looking in the middle. He noticed the corpses, "There are more out there," Louis said aloud, pointing in the middle.

Pete was looking at the area, repellent. "This wasn't no rinky-dink pissin' match."

"What was it then?" Nick asked, watching Pete stand up.

Stoic, Pete replied, "FUBAR." And continued to walk.

Louis swallowed out of fear and Clementine's expression formed to one of worriment. Just what the _hell_ was going on?

"Where are you going!?" Nick asked, concerned, "We need to get the _fuck_ outta here!"

"Gotta check the rest," Pete said, calm despite loads of death surrounding them.

"What!? _Why_!?"

Pete was crossing the river, "Calm down and think about it, son!"

"Calm down!? We've got to get out of here, _now_," Nick hissed.

Pete was in the middle exploring when he spoke, "Jesus Christ, kid, get _ahold_ of yourself."

The two kids stayed behind Nick. "Shouldn't we go get the others?" Clementine asked.

Pete shook his head. "Wish we could, but one of these folks might still be alive, and they might be inclined to tell us who did this. We gotta do this now." He turned around, "Stay here. Keep searchin' these."

Clementine let go of Louis' hand to jump onto a rock. "This is a dumb idea." She heard Nick say as she balanced herself on it before jumping onto the piece of land in the middle.

Louis watched Clementine and perked up when she looked at him, waiting. "You know Nick, I don't like this either, but sooner or later you're gonna have to realize a simple truth," Pete spoke as Louis attempted a jump himself, almost falling into the water in the process.

"What? That you're an asshole?" Nick said as Louis balanced himself on the rock and slipped a little, the heel of his shoe going into the water. Clementine winced and reached for him, which he gladly reached back for.

"That nobody in this world is ever gonna give a goddamn whether you like somethin' or not! You gotta grow up son." Pete shook his head as Louis made one final jump and grasped Clementine's hand, landing face down on the ground.

Clementine was brought down with him and only stood when she heard Nick speak again.

"Whatever," He said, walking off.

Clementine pulled Louis up with a small groan of weight, earning a sheepish smile from him. "Sorry," He told her, and she shrugged it off.

Pete's angered expression slackened to a sad one as he turned to the two kids dusting each other off. "Come on you two. If you wanna be useful, keep a look-out on that tree-line. Whoever did this might still be out there," Pete informed, placing both hands on his hips. "Probably waitin' on another sucker to stumble across this mess."

"We're on it, sir," Louis put a hand on his forehead, mimicking a soldier.

"I'd be more useful with a gun. And Louis with a weapon," Clementine said, crossing her arms.

"I don't doubt it," Pete replied without a heartbeat.

Clementine stared at Pete, steely. "At some point, you guys have to trust us." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Pete sighed. "Hell, I trust y'all. But not everyone's at that point yet. Give em' time," He consoled, frowning at her in understanding. "Just keep your heads on straight." He heard growling and stopped, looking behind the kids to spot a moving corpse. He brushed past them to kill it, and stopped once again, noticing the holes.

Pete hummed, "Same deal. All shot to pieces," He grimaced. "Hope this isn't anyone y'all know."

Louis looked at the impaled being. "Nope," He shook his head, looking away when Pete removed the spear and smashed it into the walker's cranium.

"No..." Clementine answered, all the same, watching the zombie go limp from such a force.

Pete left the spear and stepped away from it, looking around some more. Upon glancing behind him, he cursed. "More on that side. Y'all check out these ones. See if there's anything on em' that'll tell us who they were." He said, and walked to the water, crossing onto the other side.

Louis' eyebrows crinkled together. "Well. I guess it's us looking at the dead guys again," Louis muttered, glancing beside him and recoiling back when the body's face began to swarm with flies. Shouldn't flies be gone during this time of the year?

"Nothing new, really," Clementine replied, emitting a tired sigh as she crouched and examined a body. They looked familiar, but she could barely tell who it was with so much blood on their faces. "I wonder if Christa's okay..." She muttered, standing up again.

Louis stopped looking at the body to look at her. "...What? Christa...?" He asked, confused.

Clementine could tell he was confused. "Yeah..."

Louis frowned. "...I don't know what you mean," _Didn't she die?_ he added in his head.

Clementine looked away from him and turned around, noticing a body in a far corner by the water. The same one she swore she saw moving... "It's nothing," She said, "Just thinking."

Louis stayed behind while she investigated the other body. "Okay..." He muttered and wondered if Clementine knew that Christa wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Clementine went toward the dead thing and stayed a few feet back, cautious, as she had seen it move before. She took her time to look around where it died, noticing a pile of blood and...

Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp; "Clem?"

Louis was by her side immediately, "What happened?"

Clementine went around the seemingly dead body and crouched down, grabbing—

"Your backpack!" Louis exclaimed, aware to keep his tone down. "That's... Oh no..."

Clementine was about to open it when she heard something rough cough, making her jump. Louis let out a gasp of his own and clutched onto Clementine, staring wide-eyed.

The corpse... The guy was still alive...

"That's my backpack..." She confirmed, talking to the coughing man.

The man was twitching continuously, coughing and coughing.

She peered at the man, wondering why his face looked so _incredibly_ familiar.

"He... looks familiar," Louis commented as if reading her mind. So it wasn't just _her_ who thought such a thing.

Suddenly, their stomachs plummeted, their breath leaving their body.

"You were in the woods with Christa..." They said in unison, shock rattling their very bones.

Louis glared, "The woman we were with..."

Clementine narrowed her eyes, "What _happened_ to her? Please..." She gripped her backpack tight, "Tell me._ Tell us_."

The bleeding man continued to cough. "Please..." He spoke hoarsely, lifting his hand weakly to point at the water, "Please..."

Clementine reached for her backpack, bringing it close.

"He wants... water?" Louis inquired, his glare softening.

Clementine frowned. Perhaps... They were only surviving the wrong way. We were all human, after all, and nothing can ever change that.

With hesitance, she took out the bottle and opened it. She placed it against his mouth for him to drink and pulled it away when he turned his body, looking up at the sky.

"Thank you..." The two kids heard him say, heaving, closing his eyes, "Thank you..."

Louis stared at him until he uttered his final breath, his body going still. His chest stopped rising, and quickly, there was silence.

We were only human. He knew now.

"_ARRGGHHH!_"

Louis gasped and looked behind them, Clementine doing the same as she stood.

A walker was leaping at Pete on the other side, suddenly shot in the head with the rifle. The loud shot made Louis cover his ears as the dead thing fell to the ground; loud sounds never stopped spooking him ever since he was a little kid.

Pete leaned his body and gasped for breaths as if he'd just got done running a marathon.

"Pete!" Nick called, running near the river.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just... just lost my footing is all..." Pete said and began to curse quietly to himself, unconsciously clutching the fabric of his cargo pants on his right leg.

Clementine noticed something red and torn on his leg and locked eyes with his wide ones, instantly knowing what went down.

"_Shit_!" Nick cursed, and began to shoot, "Lurkers!"

Louis looked left.

"I'm outta ammo!" Pete yelled on his side, even if he packed a full pack earlier before they all left.

Clementine looked right.

"Come this way!" Nick exclaimed, still shooting.

They turned to Nick.

"Son of a bitch... _Dammit_, you get your asses over here, all of you!" Pete hissed, panicking, trying to reload but ultimately failing.

They turned to Pete.

"I'll cover you!"

"What are we going to _do_!?" Louis almost yelled, breathing heavily, his body beginning to shake.

Clementine shook her head as both Nick and Pete began to scream their lungs out, begging for both to be on one side or the other. She gripped her backpack tight, not knowing what to _do_—"Louis, go help, Nick! I'll help Pete!" Clementine urged, and didn't wait for an answer as she began to run toward Pete's direction.

"Wait—"

"Come on, come _on_!" Pete waved his hand overhead, practically _begging_ them to come to his side. "Jesus!" He exclaimed when a walker got the jump on him and sent him to the ground, Pete struggling to keep the thing off of him.

Clementine noticed and let out a gasp, looking around quickly for a weapon. She noticed a plank and grabbed it, and ran back toward Pete to hit the walker repeatedly against its elbow, hoping it would let go.

She ignored the calls Nick was making toward Louis to be careful and focused intently on the walker in front of her, glad to see that when she hit it a fourth time, the hand got ripped off.

Pete pushed it back and ripped off the hand before giving the walker a good kick with his good leg, proceeding afterward with a solid hit with the edge of his gun against the walker's skull.

There was another scream and both Pete and Clementine saw to it; Nick was beating at a walker with his gun while Louis stabbed at the monsters that didn't die after they fell from the hard hits Nick was giving them.

Pete began to limp, leaving his weapon behind, Clementine not too far behind. "Nick, _hold on_!"

"Louis, be careful!" She yelled, worried when a walker began to approach the boy from behind.

Nick looked at his parental figure and then at Louis, pulling him away before the walkers could eat at him. Then, he shook his head and ran, pulling Louis with him to the other side.

Pete was still yelling and Clementine could no longer see where they went because of so many walkers coming after them, hoping that they would be okay.

There were still walkers after them, and before they were too late, they noticed them, "We have to go!" Clementine told him urgently and began to run in the opposite direction.

Pete tried to locate Nick. He couldn't, however, and he shook his head, before limping his way at an attempt to leave before he was eaten.

The running water still ran and clashed with the rocks as they did so.

It gushed through the walker's loud wails, repeatedly brushing over the dead, even after they were all gone.

* * *

**[ . . . ]**

* * *

A/N: _**As I wrote this chapter, the only song I played on repeat was "Scared of the Dark" by Lil Wayne, XXXtentacion, and Ty Dolla $ign.**_

_**I find that two kids in the apocalypse would perfectly describe two kids in modern times that are scared of the dark.**_

_**Also, I wanted to include that scene of Luke and Nick bonding, because that was one of my favorite things from season 2. They're interactions seem brotherly or something more, and I find that both of them would have a great bond.**_

_**Jesus Christ. This document took FOREVER because I kept writing things down, and they kept fucking erasing. Jeez, that's fucking annoying.**_

_**Anyway...**_

_**Toodles~**_

_**Ana.**_


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